The Cat and the Onigiri Story Part II
by oohmyangiie
Summary: [Sequel to The Cat and the Onigiri Story] Differences that crossed not too long ago have just vanished, conveying everything back to normal. But thoughts are altered, emotions are rising, and the pressure of existence has become more then just reality...
1. Relevance

Hey everyone and welcome to part II of **"The Cat and the Onigiri Story!"** If you haven't read part I yet, then go to my profile and you'll find it; But it's long so it might take you some time, but I'm sure you'll like it. I'm just simply bored because right now I'm at the air port simply thinking of something to start the story all over again like I normally do when I'm at home…or somewhere right? San Francisco…I thought it would be cold or something like that, but the temperature is just right. People keep walking pass me looking at me like I'm a freak or something, and I think they are saying some rude things about me, saying that how a kid like me has a laptop. Well that's their own damn fault because I deserved this laptop am I right? (…of course I'm right). Right now its 9:07 and my flight is at 10:00, so that gives me at least enough time to write about 6 pages or something if I don't get distracted by others. Just peering up and watching people passing by gives me the creeps for some reason and that might catch my attention. But still…having a laptop makes me look all businessy (I just made that word up…) and that stuff. Makes me feel good LMAO. Now I'm just acting like a freak like I normally do, so I'll just get on with the story. Oh but I better start answering everyone's review from the last chapter of part I!

**Black Dragon of Darkness: **Thank you very much for saying that! I really love it when people say that my story is the best in the world, but I know that's not true. Harry Potter is good you know and other stories as well, but I'm trying to be a novelist! I don't know; maybe I'll be one of them soon! I hope so!

**Vanni: **Ha ha. My story kicking butt. Well throughout the story there's going to be more of kicking butt you know.

**Half-demon628: **The journey was pretty much okay. A huge roller coaster that took place there…but it's a really nice place to stay at. A lot of greens and those crap…better then here except for bugs. Anyway, it seems there's a new war happening…dum dum!

**Assassin Queen: **At first I didn't tend to make long chapters, but they just keep coming no matter what I do. But I'm glad you like them! It's kind of strange that this has a great plot since I thought of this while going to the dentist…ha ha. Thanks for the review!

**HardcoreKyoruFan: **Maybe, maybe, maybe and maybe. I can't answer them you know.

**Kcscooter: **Sorry…but…cries Kyo isn't going to be in this chapter. SORRY SORRY SORRY! I was trying to, but I couldn't fit him in here! I love my bracelet so much…grins evilly. Just like I said earlier, the trip was a roller coasterHa ha.

**Aya Hinata: **I'm glad you like the vision! Took me a little while to think about the vision you know…didn't know how to use it throughout the story, but I think I got it. Yes yes…keep the spoilers to yourself young one. I know I know! But still, it's _my _kyo wristband! And no problem; your story really caught my interest so why not mention it?

**AnimeFreaks13: **Good to see you again Reb and Lana. Don't pass out yet! The fun has just begun…

**Tohruismyoneechan: **Trust me I miss Kyo too, but I have to think on where to put him to make the story flow. I'm trying not to get a writers block because if I do, trust me; I'll get mad myself.

**Jinni-chan: **Falling in love with my story over and over again…I like that ha ha. Thank you very much for a review!

**AmayaSaria: **I just hope you find this story! But if you did, then you are probably reading this by now…so…yeah…(I know I'm weird XD).

**Inuyashangel: **Ha ha. Much better! You are going to have to continue reading if you want to know more about the yellow and pink bracelet!

**Merodi-chan: **Hm…I wonder what 'Sugoi' means? But still, the story has only begun you know. Ha ha. I know you can write! Soon you are going to be much better then me I can tell you! That's how life goes you know? Just keep trying!

**4everINdarkness: **Hell yeah Kyo rocks! I'm so glad that shirt exist…it's P.E.R.F.E.C.T! Yuki and Tohru…it isn't what I imagine. I love romance/fantasy stories, but it makes me really happy that even though you aren't a huge fan of it that you really really like it!

**Emerald-Mistress: **I always accept opinions from reviewers; especially yours! I'm always happy when people tell me that they like my story!

**Aria's Star: **Really? Those songs are really nice if you listen to them. I recommend a lot of songs actually…if you have AIM I can send it to you if you want. Who ever knew how much music can bring scenes to life? No wonder why there's always music in movies ha ha. GO AFTER THEM TOHRU! GO GO GO BAKA! Ha ha! But still…calling her baka…better watch out for Kyo.

**Grounded from computer: **By your sn...it sounds like you are actually grounded from computer. Is that why you had to make your review quick? But still I like that you had time to review me; that really makes me pleased! Just don't get grounded too often!

**RoCkS: **I love intense an suspense…it somehow changes the story to make it much better! Or it's the feeling it leaves people…hm…maybe I should put more in it…

**Turdle: **Thanks a lot for the review! Don't have that much to say…so sad…but I'll think of something in the next chapter!

**Frostychan12: **You do not like Georgia? When I went there, it was absolutely beautiful. Much better then California. I checked out Zero-kun, the person you spoke about, and I'm having a feeling of checking out her stories. But I had to leave to Georgia right after that ha ha. Thanks for the review!

Okay…that's everyone I think. I'm just glad people from part I are still here to read the story and that makes me really happy, so once again. Thank you all very _very _much! Or Arigato! Something like that…right?

* * *

**Chapter 1 "Relevance"**

"Ghanjan-kun!" cried out a average size teenage girl, clasping her hands together and spinning around, taking mini hops to stop herself from her over excitement of running. Finally putting herself to a stop, she stood on the tip of her toes and waved her hand quite hastily, having a huge smile on her face like a little kid would have when discovering something exciting.

Her blue eyes took joy when a boy who also seemed around his teens—only he appeared a year or two older—finally catching up with the hyper girl as she then waited patiently…or at least she tried to. With a grin he managed to hide his exhausted self and followed behind.

Another giggle and she was already off on her own adventure. The boy who she called Ghanjan made a harsh sigh, not knowing how she was able to have so much energy for a youngster such as herself, not to mention a princess. He took the time to look behind himself to make sure that he wasn't the only one having a difficult time, and behind him was a rather tall girl who supported herself with another girl simply standing next to her; no expression on her face. The one who seemed she would collapse in seconds rolled her hazel eyes while flinging back her dirty blond hair. A black haired girl that supported her merely waited with her usual halfway open eyes with long wavy black hair tied into a braid.

The young woman spun around once again, her hair following her command as she then made a light smile. Controlling her frenzied self she scurried over to the two of them; Ghanjan standing in the same place as he kept his eye on the princess.

"Uo-chan you can't be tired, can you?" questioned the girl. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I should have waited and given you time to rest! But instead I cared only for myself and I pushed you to wasting your energy! I'm so sorry!"

"Heh…you think that…that I'm tired?" queried Uotani, only it seemed to take her a long time to actually pull herself together and stand up straight. "I still have enough energy to beat up Ghan-kun any day!"

"You wouldn't want to do that!" gasped Tohru suddenly.

"Tohru-kun I'm just joking," half joked Uotani, giving a light pat on the back to her friend. She was half serious after all. "Come on, I'm not going to waste my break talking about Ghan-kun all day."

Ghanjan merely grinned at the three girls. Both of them were just so strange…in their own way that is. He never really thought of the reason how he came to be friends with the three of them, let alone he was the only boy in the group. But becoming friends…the thought about it didn't seem quite true it. Uotani was his partner for gardening, so that was an exception. And mostly that's where he found himself hanging around with Hanajima; one of the main chef's of the castle. And the princess of the castle; Tohru Honda.

Both the three paused their conversation as they took notice in Ghanjan, merely standing where he was and waiting for them to come over. But still, with Tohru smiling like she normally did, he wasn't as thankful for it as he wanted it to be. Of course he was content with Tohru running around the place like a mouse, but it was just so unexpected. And no matter what, whenever he had the perfect chance to ask her questions about the night before, she seemed to never hear. Or sometimes she would reply, saying, "Could we talk about that later?"

**Earlier**

Ghanjan remained by Uotani's side as the shaking of her hand started to slow down, seeing that the pain was starting to dwell away. He was a bit surprised on the incident that just took place. Surrounding the room Uotani wanted to barge into was a green barrier that continued to create its wavy image. But it was Hanajima who clearly stated what the sight actually was. He didn't suspect anything like this to happen, knowing it was Tohru inside the room, the person he truly cared for and the one who he had full trust into.

Princess Tohru Honda was in that room, and so was he himself only a while ago before Tohru—trying as best as she could—kindly asked him to leave so she could get some rest. But with the barrier around the door, he could surely tell that _that _wasn't the reason for his departure. Depression took control over her and this caused him, Hanajima and Uotani to do the only thing and become worry…in their own way to put it clearly.

"You should have just leaved her alone like I told you to," said Ghanjan. "She directly told me she would like to sleep."

"You believe that?" questioned Uotani in a somewhat irritated voice, but she then calmed herself down with a sigh. "Look at me. I was about to speak something rude about Tohru-kun…our Tohru-kun. But it's not my fault! She's making me worry!"

"She's making us all fret Uotani," said Hanajima. "Because she's Tohru-kun, so it isn't our fault. Are you still hungry Uotani?"

"Nah," she replied. "I was just trying to make a diversion that's all."

All was quiet in the room now that everything was finally made clear. Uotani stood in the middle of the hallway, merely looking around the place and sometimes peering down to look at her hand, wondering if any recovery took place. Hanajima still watched the barrier as though it were more interesting then wallpaper like any other metaphor. (Or is it a simile?). And Ghanjan who leaned against the wall with his lifeless hands buried in his pockets, looking down at his shoes.

"_This whole thing is a mess," _thought Ghanjan. _"All of us are losing our usual selves. Just thinking about it gives me some kind of sign that none of us will go back to normal…"_

Finishing that thought, he started to hear the creaking sound that came from the door. Hanajima, stepping out of the way as he noticed a quick smile on her face, was the princess who opened the door all the way up. He raised his head as well while both he and Uotani remained 'shock.' Making a big smile at all of them, she then put on her usual curious face that would just catch everyone's attention. Ghanjan noticed the barrier around the door vanish when her appearance was recognizable.

"I think I had plenty of rest!" announced Tohru ever so happily. "Were you three waiting for me the whole time?"

No answer came from both the gardeners, but she didn't show any expression of impatience. A hand moved over to her shoulder and looking up was the black haired girl with a warm smile.

"Yes…" she replied.

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" cried out Tohru devastated. "You didn't have to wait for me to wake up! I could have slept for hours and if that happened I know I would have never forgiven myself! What if one of you three got in trouble because you weren't working?"

"Don't worry 'bout that stuff," said Uotani. "We have the day off surprisingly. _Not really…"_

"Really!" gasped Tohru, clutching her hands together. "That's wonderful! I know! We should hang out in the maze like we normally do! It's a warm sunny day and we shouldn't waste it by staying in here!"

"That's the spirit!" encouraged Uotani with a somewhat harsh pat on the back for Tohru, and this made her stumble a bit. "Let's ditch this place and go outside!"

Both the two of them marched rather joyfully down the stairs; arms swinging back and forth as though they were in some kind of marching band. Ghanjan and Hanajima…both followed behind, but very slowly only because they were scared by the strange behaviors both the girls had left upon. Well…that was Ghanjan's reason. Hanajima, there was no telling what her emotions were. If only he could have waves like her…scratch that. He wouldn't want that nor did he ever…

"So it seems our precious Tohru is fine…" said Hanajima quite truthfully, but that was only to start a conversation.

"Outside," said Ghanjan. "She's fine outside. But it was only half an hour ago that she started to cry right in front of me. Why would she suddenly come out and act as though nothing had ever happen?"

"She's Tohru-kun," said Hanajima. "Just like I told you…Tohru-kun is Tohru-kun. She doesn't want anyone to worry about her in person. Don't try to ruin her act…she's doing the best she can."

"I wasn't planning to," mumbled Ghanjan. Still, it was strange of Tohru's actions. Crying a moment ago and now a face that shined like the sun for she sure did bright up the room.

**Now**

"_I just don't understand," _thought Ghanjan. _"How can she easily change her emotions so quickly without any sign of regrets? It's almost abnormal…then yet again; I'm speaking poorly of the princess, which I shouldn't do. But I think she's trying her best to make everything in life seem…tranquil then what others think."_

"Come on Ghan your acting like a loner again!" said Uotani. "Or is it because you are the only boy and you rather hang out with boys?"

"Ghanjan-kun you don't feel that way do you?" questioned Tohru. "I mean, uh, if that's how you feel, then you should hang out with boys! Don't let us keep you here! But still, it's fun with you hanging around with us! But that's my selfishness…that is, um…-"

"Tohru, calm down," spoke Uotani as though she were a mother. She swung her arms over Tohru's shoulder and Ghanjan's shoulder and leaned against them, looking back and forth between them. "He knows I was just making fun of him like I normally do. Right Ghan?"

"…Yeah," he replied with a grin. So what if he was the only guy hanging around with these three? Especially the princess…knowing the men in the castle, he knew some who had secret crushes on the princess because of her kindness and generosity. And of course her endearing looks that make her look so innocent; which she is. Some warriors who had crushes on her would try and cooperate with her father as much as possible, trying to be the best at everything; being the perfect man to attract his interest. Servants; they had no chance, for they knew a servant couldn't be with a princess as high ranking as her. Besides, Yishanu wouldn't allow it whatsoever. But just having at least a minute to speak with her; they would feel deeply thrilled.

And beyond that, Ghanjan may have a little secret on why he would _also _spend time with the three of them. First reason was, of course, those three were the only ones who accepted him still even after his blood and his body (which is sometimes rare to find) was gathered up from battle when he was killed, regenerated and brought his body back to life…only he wasn't the same person like all others. But seeing that others would ignore him because of his new life, the princess, Uotani and Hanajima treated him like a regular person in the castle.

The second reason was because of _his _crush against the princess. He couldn't help it nor can some other warriors and servants. Her smile and openhandedness and thoughtfulness; the nature around her and her wonderful appearance, who could blame him? She was mostly a girl any guy would want to have…well, in his opinion that is. She was always so innocent and never once has she tried to hurt someone; physically or mentally. (However physically would be kind of creepy…). And he was honored that a girl such as her existed, for if she didn't…he would have been lost in his own world; isolated, misplaced, shutting his eyes off from everyone; those kinds of things.

And the third reason…Ghanjan would always regret it, but it was also something else that he could never help...and sometimes it was fun. Jealousy. But it's not he himself who was jealous. Oh no. It was actually the servants and warriors who formed a crush on her. They all know that Ghanjan and Princess Tohru are very much close friends and are always found hanging around with each other. And whenever he had a chance, he would always brag about how lucky he is to have a friend like Tohru. Sure; some of the servants and warriors would walk up to her and have a little conversation, but that's where Hanajima comes in.

Hanajima would always have some kind of way to scare them off, for she always informed Tohru that they had "strange" waves coming from them; ones that she wasn't comfortable with at all. So…that's where the jealousy comes back in. Why was Ghanjan an exception that he could hang out with the princess and not them? He was the one who was brought back to life as a servant, so he has no right to spend time with someone as high ranking as her! So mostly…the reason why he doesn't hang around with the boys is because they just don't like the new him…and neither did he himself.

"If we don't get going I'm going to blame you for not getting the day off I deserve!" snapped Uotani, bringing Ghanjan back to reality (Oops, there goes gravity! LMAO. Some of you might understand that…if you know Eminem that is…HE'S retiring!)

He merely grinned and stood besides Hanajima and Tohru, walking through the maze for after living here for so long, they can walk through the maze like a simple trail that would never end. But that's what made everything seem peaceful; a never ending trail so the four of them could stay together for as long as they lived.

**Zodiac Castle**

Standing at the front of the door stood a tall figure that stood out from all the others that merely walked by him as though he were another one of them, though he stood in great importance. Straightening up his folded white collar and slightly cracking the side of his neck, he looked both ways with a stern expression and noticed only a few people watching him. Realizing this, the spies made a whimpering sound and scattered off.

Not bothering to follow the spies—thinking…no, _knowing _it wasn't important at all—he grabbed the handle of the door and pushed it open, taking a step inside the wooded floor office. It was only about twenty minutes ago that someone informed him that Lord Akito had asked for his appearance as soon as possible. He, Hatori Sohma himself, was also a doctor at the Zodiac Castle, so with his busy schedule it took him a bit of a while to finally clear his to-do list.

But other people in the castle were quite uncomfortable with Hatori and all of his profession. A dragon leader let alone the first Zodiac who was able to transform into an actual dragon. Also a doctor at Zodiac Castle and a very clever one to be added. He was the third acquaintance to his Lord Akito and he was mostly in charge of paper work that seemed to be piling and piling continuously. People knew he had a specialty with organization and preparations, but it was too much for one man to handle. But facing Hatori and telling him about it, they figured it was none of their business.

Shutting the door behind him he looked at the person who sat in front of his desk; nothing on the small table except his two folded hands. Standing behind him was a teen with short light brownish hair and green eyes with, surprisingly, yellow pupils. Hatori already knew this was Lord Akito's son, for his appearance was much more unique then a regular Zodiac. And talking to him; that was the farthest idea from his mind because he, the dragon leader who once trained him as a child, had known that he would never speak a single word to anyone.

"Good afternoon Hatori," greeted Akito with a small grin. He looked at his clock that was only a few feet away from Ghanjan that stayed put on the wall. Turning his head back at the guest, he created a curious eye. "You appear to be tardy, am I mistaken?"

"No, Lord Akito," he replied. "I was busy with a patient who couldn't quite get himself together. Please forgive me for not coming straight away."

"Yes…I presume you should apologize for your dealings," sighed Akito as he then clung is fingers together, stretching them in front of him. "With the patients coming and going, it's as though this whole castle is inflicted with some kind of syndrome. Or is it because we are just so pathetic? Filthy Zodiacs…"

Hatori didn't bother to reply anything to what Akito had just commented. He being leader scared many Zodiacs because he would always say whatever was on his mind. He didn't have the slightest feeling of lament for his actions or comments. Everyone knew his words were law, so whatever he said, they knew it was accurate. At least they were ordered to believe that. Hatori…he pretended to. But he kept the disagreements to himself.

"Is there anything I can give you for assistance?" questioned Hatori. Of course, he was a person who wanted to complete his orders as soon as possible before falling behind; that's where organization came in for him.

"It's as though you read my mind," he said as he vaguely turned to look up at his son. Hatori's eyes follow to the boy as well, seeing him merely standing in the same position with his arms behind his back and almost leaning against the wall; not very proper.

"Jekou, where are your manners?" snapped Akito, not receiving the impression he was expecting. "Don't go backfiring our blood line because you are tired."

"…S'ry," he muttered and this time he pushed himself off the wall, now standing straight. But Hatori noticed he was leaning more pressure on one foot then the other.

"_So the Zodiacs who came back here last night never slept yet," _thought Hatori, seeing a bit of baggy eyes from the "king-to-be." _"Disappointing that Lord Akito isn't giving them time to rest. We're going to be leaving soon after all."_

"Now, back to me," said Akito who forced Hatori to direct his vision at him. "You, out of a few people here, already know we're going to head out in a little while. I was recently given reports by the horse leader that she detected Jekou out on the battle pasture during the combat using the snake and horse army. I already know that it was his first time out in a skirmish, but he managed to come back breathing with no wounds."

It was only a simple glance, but when the dragon took his eyes off Lord Akito since the subject was indeed about Jekou, he noticed the boy flinch for a moment. Was it because the topic was about him? Or that he knew he was in a dilemma because he was found in battle when he certainly wasn't allowed to? For if he were to become injured or happen to be killed, Zodiac Castle would have been up in chaos, for everyone would soon discover Akito…

"So, seeing that this has somehow caught my attention," Akito continued. "I would like you to give him special and of course, _clandestine _training for the remainder of the time before we depart. All of your other duties; don't bother with them until my request is over and done with."

"Lord Akito, there are still patients that need quick medical," he replied.

"The hell with them," the Lord snapped. "That's the reason why we have others to take care of all that. They don't need _you_ to cease everything, because if they do, then surely they aren't compatible with the job."

"…I understand," said Hatori, though Akito caught him taking a moment to decide, but since Lord Hatori had replied yes, there's no need to trouble him. Hatori looked back up at Jekou who was staring at him, but quickly he looked back down. "But, if I may ask a question that is."

"…Go ahead," said Akito lazily, pretending that it wasn't something significant.

"How much of a dispute does your son need?" he asked. "I require information of his skills and what level I may precede him in."

"…You're the dragon leader," assumed Akito. "He's my son; you decide. But I want you to make him as well-built as possible. Dealing with weapons, martial arts, transforming; everything you are eligible of doing. But still…if you really need information about him…then there is one thing I can tell you."

He merely looked up at his son and grinned, glaring at the eyes of the dragon Zodiac before momentarily seeing that Hatori was waiting for him to finish what he needed to be said.

"Make him into a dragon," he ordered. "And that's not a request Hatori."

"I cannot guarantee that, Lord," said Hatori as he noticed Akito showing interest; however the awareness didn't seem a pleasant sight to see. "I'm not saying your son doesn't have the strength to become an actual dragon. It's-."

"Of _course_ he doesn't have the strength to become an actual dragon," Akito interrupted as he started to laugh. "He's a weakling for all I can say! Dare I speak; he can't even converse a word even if he wanted to! If he has my blood and Zeknui's, of course he will be able to. That's all he needs; my and Zeknui's blood."

"I…I can understand that Lord," said Hatori. "But it depends on how much strength he can earn. Your blood will surely help him, but I also have to give him potency so he can control his dragon form."

"Then work him day and night if you have to," ordered Akito as his face became severe. "I don't care if he pleads to rest; do not agree. I don't care if his knees meet the ground; pull him back up onto his own two feet. I want him to become a dragon and _remain _a dragon, unlike Zeknui…damn woman."

"If I may ask, where has Lady Zeknui gone to?" questioned Hatori.

"She was so lifeless she's staying in her room to rest," he replied. "I had to give Hoto an extra antidote so that Zeknui was able to have energy to escape the castle. Having some of her extra injected blood here, I was able to mix it with my other remains I have left and gave it to Kata while she mixed it with the atmosphere last night that was only made for Zodiacs."

"Would you like me to take her to the consulting room?" questioned Hatori.

"She'll heal up eventually," said Akito. "If she was able to transform into a dragon, then she has all the power one could ever have. This is enough for today Hatori. I command that you now start training Jekou."

"I…yes Lord," answered Hatori as he made a steady bow. Without any authority, Jekou made a quick bow to his father and walked pass his desk, heading to the door with Hatori following behind. But before even closing the door, he heard Akito standing up from his chair.

"Remember what I told you," he said. "Don't treat him like a little kid. He's big enough to understand what pain is."

Another nod came from the dragon leader as he closed the door, seeing Jekou watching his every move. But once Lord Akito's door shut, Hatori heard Jekou sigh and lean against the wall, having an expression that looked relieved and tranquil.

"God," he spoke. "I was certain that with another word I was going to attack him." He then looked up at Hatori with a smirk. "I wanted to laugh because you were trying so hard not to make him angry."

"…_He's speaking," _thought Hatori, who—though he barely showed that expression—seemed surprised. _"I have never once heard him spoke an actual sentence until just now. More importantly he's speaking rudely of his father."_

"About the training…" said Jekou as he looked down. "I might disagree with some orders you might command me, but just keep trying. I really _do _want to be an actual dragon. Something to make myself be noticed, that's all."

"…I think by you talking, you'll catch everyone's attention," said Hatori as he heard Jekou chuckle.

"I just figured that…keeping myself silent wasn't going to do anything," said Jekou. "I just wanted to finish whatever I had to do without any hassle. But I guess going to Mortal Castle made things easier for me."

"_Mortal Castle," _thought Hatori taking his eyes off of his new student. _"Many strange things have happened related to Mortal Castle. But what could that place done?"_

**Outside**

Scattered Zodiacs; some transformed and some who remained in their human form, walked the paths outside where tiny white pebbles distribute among the place. Growing bonsai's and foxtail's with cherry blossoms that weren't quite blossomed yet. A few ponds were planted down onto the ground with mini bridges hovering over them and lily pads that floated around. The grass was a lavish sight that it would appear it would be watered twice a day.

Standing away from all the Zodiacs who weren't important at the moment was a teen that stood in a well-mannered position. His arms were folded, but he didn't show an attitude that others didn't like with his feet to some extent spread from each other. Using his stunning purplish-blue eyes he watched his kind merely fighting with one another; only their punches and kicks weren't as powerful as they were suppose to be, but that was his order. Looking beyond his grayish bangs that got in his way, he noticed two clashes against each other that sent one to the ground. But immediately the one standing up offered his hand and helped the other back onto his own feet.

"_They're still the same," _thought Yuki, but instantaneously he sighed as a sweatdrop fell from his head. _"I can't believe nii-san took my place…but even him, I expected him to teach them at least something…but still; I was the one who got myself confined, so I suppose this is a chastisement."_

"Lord Yuki Lord Yuki!" shouted a warrior as he rushed up to him, followed by another who seemed to be his partner. Yuki cleared his thoughts and watched the two boys who were without doubt older then him approach him, though one seemed to be annoyed.

"Something wrong rat 33?" questioned Yuki. (Yes…the leaders have to remember each of their kind WITH NUMBERS! Chapter '**SHIT**' for details).

"You taught us a move before you were captured by the mortals," said one of the warriors as he held up a plastic dagger since using actual daggers could be dangerous. "Motion of Six in Three."

"…Yes…" replied Yuki, but just for a second he was sure he never taught them that. "Are you having difficulty with it?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "I mean, I do know how many strikes (duh), but I can't keep up with the rhythm and angle. And I forgot when to attack each spot."

"_Okay…nii-san really didn't make any improvement," _thought Yuki as he looked over at the other person who was the partner of rat 33; the one who seemed annoyed. "Are you having complexity?"

"No," he replied sternly. "I keep showing him, but he keeps telling me he can't do it."

A moment of wondering how his army could survive, he bent over to his boot and pulled out a sharp dagger; not a plastic one, but an actual one. If his partner couldn't even show him, how was he able to learn other techniques? Further more…it was Ayame that he started to worry about. What _did _he do while he was gone at Mortal Castle in the first place? He would have to discuss that later.

"Rat 108," spoke Yuki as some other rat Zodiacs noticed their leader holding the dagger, and this caught their attention. "Would it be all right if I used you as an example?"

"…Fine," he mumbled. Yuki already knew that this person was one of those who thought he was better then anyone else, but he tried not to show any emotions about that problem. Besides…it would be a good choice to use him as an example. Incase if he made a mistake…it wouldn't cause him too much regret.

"_Just don't cut me up," _he thought as he stood in front of Yuki, his eyes following the dagger that was in the rat leader's hands. It was an actual dagger that could have taken his life away. More attention was then taken from the rat Zodiacs, but it was an example, so it wasn't ghastly that they stopped training.

"Okay rat 33," spoke Yuki as he fidgeted with his dagger for a moment, getting a perfect hold. "It's called Motion of Six in Three because there are six spots where you have to aim at. Left side of neck, right side of neck, middle of left arm, middle of right arm, straight down the stomach, and then straight up at the chin."

"I thought it was the wrist," said rat 33. "To cut off flow of the blood."

"Well, yes," replied Yuki. "But you can also cut the middle of the arm to sever off circulation if you go deep enough. The wrist is too much to stretch towards to when you are going at the right rhythm. Each attack should take half a second, so Motion of Six in Three should only take three seconds to complete."

"That's the problem," said rat 33. "I can't go that fast."

"That's all right," said Yuki "Just go at the pace that suits you, and once you are comfortable with that speed, try to raise it. You still want me to show you?"

The strange part was, it wasn't only rat 33 who nodded, but everyone who was watching nodded as well. A couple of servants passing by seemed to take notice in this as well. Of course, Yuki did like this attention, but he didn't show it to anyone.

"Okay, I'll go slow first and show you where to aim, and then I'll show the way and speed you have to do it," said Yuki. "That counts to the rest of you as well!"

He brought his dagger and held it only two centimeters close to rat 108's left neck and pretended to slice it, saying the number one as his other hand held his right neck. He did the same to the right side of his neck and said two. Then he went to the middle of the left arm and said three while his other hand held his right arm. The same to the middle of the right arm while saying four. Acting as though he really sliced down his stomach with the number five coming out of his lips, and then grabbing the side of the example's right neck, he pointed the tip of the dagger straight at the bottom of rat 108's chin, saying the last number, six.

"So do you understand?" questioned Yuki, releasing rat 108.

"I think so," replied rat 33. "Oh but, can-can you do it fast? I er, I think it would help me understand the pace and the tempo…"

Again, all the nodding started as some chuckled by the strange occurrence. Yuki couldn't help but make a small smile, which he rarely did when he was around his army. He did tell rat 33 that he would show him how to do it in the three second pace, so what choice did he have?

"All right," said Yuki, looking back up at rat 108. "One more time."

"_Like I said, don't cut me into pieces," _thought rat 108.

Another fidgeting with his dagger to get a good grip, he pretended that it wasn't as hard as it seems by staring down at his shoes for a moment. But quickly, he repeated the same "modus operandi", only it took one second to make two cuts against the neck, one second to cut the middle of the arms, half a second to slice down the stomach (Remember he's pretending!), and without delay he grabbed rat 108's neck once again and held the dagger in a frozen position under the chin; the tip of it gently poking his skin, but not leaving a mark.

A few mutters of "awes" and "wow" came from the crowd for they were impressed by the demonstration their leader had just given them. Of course, who wouldn't? Everyone knew that every single detail and characteristics about him was elegant and stylish; so was the same with battling. His battling stance and movements were lovely; almost a figure dancing in water.

"I think I got it!" said rat 33 proudly, and immediately he stood in front of Yuki and repeated the same movements he had done, only once going straight at the bottom of the chin, he didn't dare touch the rat leader. No one taunt to touch him.

"…Very good…" spoke Yuki impressed.

"What a poser," muttered rat 108. "He just wanted you to do that technique that's all."

But before Yuki could question anything, there was a huge commotion nearby that came from his army. Some had smiles on their faces and started saying something, but Yuki couldn't quite catch what they were saying because of all the other distractions. But there was one familiar laugh that seemed to stay stuck in Yuki's head. No…it couldn't be. Not at this time.

"Yes, yes, I know my dear fellow friends," sighed a charming voice that didn't even sound close to a "normal" accent. "I wish I could come back and train all of you once again. But I must go back to my army once again! Please forgive me my wonderful youngsters!"

"_Nii-san…" _thought Yuki as a dark cloud hovered over his head.

"Ah, little brother!" cried out Ayame joyfully as he sprinted straight at the rat leader; tears in his eyes. Without thinking he wrapped his arms around his little brother and chuckled through his snuffle. "I'm so thankful that you have returned from that hell whole place where they kept you captive and treated you like an actual rat! I wanted to leave here immediately and, being the person I am, save you like any older brother should do! But I wasn't able to but now you are back into my arms and there is nothing I can do to let you go!"

"I'll go straight to Lord Akito…" mumbled Yuki coldly.

"Fine…fine…" replied Ayame, releasing his little brother. "But really…I am glad that you have returned. I was worried about your life you know."

"Yeah, during our training session all he did was sat and mope around," said a warrior with a snicker.

"_That explains everything," _thought Yuki. _"But was he really worried about me?"_

"'Till the clock hit morning is when I jumped out of my bed and dashed straight down the castle stairs," sighed Ayame, spinning around in a dramatic way. "Going down the stairs like tumbling down a hill with huge boulders rolling straight at you, I was desperate for escape! Opening the sacred door with trembling hands, I came upon words that I thought I would never hear in my life! Like Gure-san; qué séra séra!"

"What were the words Ayame-sensei?" questioned a few warriors with interest in their eyes.

"_He hypnotized them…" _thought Yuki disgusted.

"Why, it was when my dear young and only brother, the rat leader, Yuki Sohma had finally returned from Mortal Castle, that's what!" announced Ayame as he took possession of Yuki's hands. "And…"

"And…?" questioned the same warriors.

"…And…what?" muttered Yuki.

"…Lord Akito has asked that you take care of his large and tall amounts of paper work until he gives further orders," answered Ayame calmly. "Large and tall like huge buildings that rise straight to heaven! The entrance to the gates of peace!"

"Those were the words you thought you would never hear from Lord Akito?" shouted Yuki quite sternly.

"…No, but that_ is_ what Lord Akito requested," said Ayame. "Tori-san is going to train his little son Jekou! Isn't that strange?"

"Not exactly," said Yuki.

"Now, let me stop my sobbing self and concentrate on the warriors my dear brother owns!" cheered Ayame blissfully. "Come! We shall march around the castle and announce the arrival of my dear brother!"

"You are so caring for your brother!" spoke a person behind rat 108.

"Don't order my army around!" snapped Yuki.

"If you wanted to march along with us, you should have asked little one," said Ayame, standing besides Yuki and wrapping an arm around him. "We shall march together, along with your warriors behind us!"

"MARCH BY YOURSELF!" shouted Yuki.

* * *

There you go everyone! The first chapter of part II of **"The Cat and the Onigiri Story" **has finally completed! I hope you all enjoyed that! Yeah…I didn't want _very _important things to happen in this chapter since this is part of **"The Cat and the Onigiri Story" **so yeah…anyway, I also do hope you understand "The Six Slice Technique." I was trying to make it clear as possible because how I imagined it in my mind, it looked so cool. Please do the three r's like I always say! Read, review, repeat!

DarkKyo


	2. Fraudulence

Back to the next chapter already. Only took me one week to finish two chapters for my other stories and I'm already back on this one! Well…I could have written about 7-8 pages already, but there was a little accident while house hunting in Georgia. (By the way, I'm still in Georgia, but I'm heading back home tomorrow night, which I will update! But when this is updated it's probably going to be November…). See, while looking at houses, Georgia is somewhat meant to have homes in high areas; like on hills. And the driveway is like a slope so maybe if it snowed (which it doesn't to make everything clear) you can ski down really fast. Anyway, I guess my pop is just lacking age and while walking up the driveway, he pulled a hamstring or something in his leg (behind the tibia) and now he has a cass over it and he has to use crutches until next year (somewhere around that); not to mention he can't go to work during that time (All the way in Santa Clara and we live in Tracy. About…100 miles adding back and forth together, I think…) and I have to do all of his household tasks like our backyard (colossal!) and then I need to wash his car and also buy an up-to-the-minute rim for one of the tires because I guess it somehow got lost in the freeway. I know more about cars then my mom so that's why I have to do it (dammit) Mostly I'm going to be busy…but that's life. Also it's tremendously stressful here as well; pop and I are getting EXTREMELY annoyed with grandpa. My pop tries to cooperate with him, but every time he talks to me, I mute him out or I just say, "Mm-hm" or "Oh." Very sad since I try to fight back his "talkative" self. But now I'm just going off topic with my personal stuffs that you guys aren't probably interested in. Now reviews!

**Emerald Mistress: **Part II is already up! Woo hoo! You have no idea how happy I am…but that means I have more chapters to go…cries

**thequietwriter: **I'm sorry Kyo wasn't in chapter 1. I just couldn't find time to fit him in…but he's in this chapter don't worry! (Well…I think you are going to be mad by how long Kyo is in here…) I'm sorry if I confused you with the flashback, but I just wanted to tell everyone what happened and why Tohru was all happy all of the sudden. And I figured that chapter 1 might be good to explain Jekou and Ghanjan a bit more. Every character counts you know! (I even drew a picture of Makao Sohma and Taka Sohma from **"Black Moon" **because I liked them…the site is in my profile if you want to see it).

**Bonnie 625: **I'm very glad you like the story! It's always nice to get new reviewers! Well, I'm 13 just like you, except since your birthday is almost here, you are older. I'm born in 1992 and you are 1991 right? I got a laptop I guess because I'm always begging for one, my parents really know that I want to be a novelist, and I've been getting straight A's for the past 4 years I guess. (I'm not bragging or anything don't get me wrong! But I think that's the reason…). But my pop still uses my laptop as well, so it isn't exactly mine. But I think you deserve one! I don't mind anyone who talks to me; as long as they are friendly and not a suck up, I can deal with it. Now your question really got me. Hm…I think Haru would have to be the cute one (even though I love Kyo SOOOOO much. More then Haru). But Haru has this vibe that makes him so cute. His personality you know? And it's cool that you are from Australia; I've never been there before. Not to mention you are Vietnamese! I'm only half though; half Vietnamese and half English. Somewhat like Momiji I suppose…but I'm not like him no way! XD

**Frostychan12: **It's so nice to see how dense Ayame can be (smiles happily). Is Georgia really like that? In California, it's so empty with only freeways and cities; I'm not that kind of person. I like greens no matter what. But are the people really snobby? I didn't interact with a lot (well maybe I did…you know me. I love boys XD!) but they seemed very nice to me. But they kept looking at me…that's what kind of got me there ha ha.

**Akina: **Every time I read your name, I'm going, "That used to be my favorite name!" But anyway, I'm so sorry that I can't update as fast as I usually do. School is getting harder (I sound so grown up…I'm only in eighth grade dammit!) and I guess I've been really busy lately with all this moving stuff and then there is Science Fair and then there is this exchange program to go to Japan and I do have other stories too. But I'll try to work my hardest yes I will!

**Turdle: **Reading your sn I think of that movie, "The Master of Disguise" (and I'm surprised I remember the name…) Turdle Turdle! XD. Anyway, I'm very glad that you said my story is enjoyable to read. But the strange part is I always read my stories when listening to music. Brings a special vibe you know?

**Karen: **Well…I think there will only be two parts. So part II is the last one I think. But if the story kept going on and on, people would get tired…right? Besides, I will run out of ideas ha ha! But I'm glad that you want me to continue makes me so happy! snuggles Kyo plushie. Now I'm going overboard…do you have any stories? I mean…I know you don't have a ff sn, but you should! Then I could read your stories! That would be fun! (now I sound like an eight year old…)

**Shooting Starlight31: **It's good to see you again! I hope to see you in the future!

**Fruitslover4ever: **Everyone tells me that it seems forever for me to update. But it's the truth…remember; this is the last part! (At least I think it is…)

**Merodi-chan: **Ohhhh….sugoi…I never knew that! Long chapters are just a habit of mine. Once I start writing I can never seem to stop myself. But the longest I think I've ever written was 23 pages or something…but sometimes people tell me they don't like long chapters…and I just get second opinions and all…

**AnimeFreaks13: **Welcome welcome welcome Reb and Lana! How can Yuki be your brother and Rin be your sister? That's kind of…odd…ha ha. Love when you review; always makes me laugh with your 'strange' moments.

**AmayaSaria: **Did you have trouble finding this story? I hope you didn't…I don't exactly love Ayame, but he's a good character to run the story. But sometimes I think your sn is Ayame…XD.

**Aya Hinata: **Every single moment with Ayame and Yuki, you know something bad is going to turn out. (Yet in a funny way ha ha!) I'm sorry Kyo isn't in here…I feel so bad…

**HardcoreKyoruFan: **Really? I mentioned in part I that I was going to make a part II…or did you not read it? Oops…sorry if I confused you! And don't worry; there will be Kyo and Tohru moments soon. Why do you think it's called **"The Cat and the Onigiri Story Part II" **anyway:)

**Aria's Star: **I thought people would be bored dealing with Yuki and all that stuff since the reviewers want Kyo and Tohru. But I can't help it! I'm trying to add more 'flavor' to the story as well. But it's kind of hard for me…but I'm trying! When I'm mad I usually walk back and forth in my room until I'm relaxed. But I should try that music thing (though I don't have a funny music…) And don't worry; I was kidding with Kyo coming after you. Just be careful about making fun of Tohru…(now I sound stupid).

**Spring Rose: **It's all right if you skipped a couple of reviews. I just want people to read my story and like it that's all. Of course reviews do make me happy you know? You live in San Francisco? Wow…it's big. Well, I'm back in my hometown, which is in California. Georgia was fun I suppose…I'm not much of a big city lover, but it wasn't that cold. I'm use to the cold (I get it from my pop) so I really can't tell if it's cold or hot. XD

**TsubasaKyo: **Yay! Following step 2! Now just make sure you do steps 1 and 3 as well! cries from happiness Thank you so much for saying how detailed my story was! I've been trying so hard to make it realistic because that's what people look for. Ha ha; I tend to space out as well. Always happens…sometimes when I get up my head get's really dizzy and I have to sit back down for a moment. It pisses me off. Trust me; I do want to publish a book, but I'm so young! And blah I have three ideas in my head but I haven't even started writing down an idea. gasp Maybe you can read it and tell me how it is! eyes sparkle

**Assassin Queen: **When I read 'Assassin' I think back on the cruise where the teens had to make up a nickname. This one kid put 'Ass Ass In" and if you put it together, it spells 'Assassin' LMSO! (laugh my socks off. The 'ass' is too common. I'm going my OWN way). I'm sorry Kyo wasn't in chapter 1, but at least he's in here! laughs a little but then backs away, thinking of the ending…

**xCHiNA-GiRL: **cries Kyo…wasn't in chapter 1….but he will in this chapter! looks at assassin queen and you continuously while backing away

**Kcscooter: **Don't worry; I still know it's you. I only have two hands don't suspect so much of me! cries horribly with shame j/k!

**Thequietwriter: **Well…hello again! Now thinking about it…it kind of makes me glad not to put Kyo. Ohhh you're making me feel like J.K Rowling! I want to be like her when I grow up…but still; I like the way you think! It's interesting!

**4everINdarkness: **Yes…I _am _awesome ha ha! Anyway, Halloween wasn't that exciting. How was your Halloween anyway? I dressed up as a boy and my friend was like, "You are the cutest boy I've ever seen" LMSO!

**Half-demon628: **blushes Well…I wanted to do something interesting…though for some reason I got a little bored when I read Yuki's move and all that stuff.

**Majorkyofan: **Thank you very much for still reviewing this story! I'll make sure it'll continue until the end comes!

**RoCkS: **A lot of people are telling me that even though I mentioned it in chapter's 26 and up…sorry! Kyo is back at Zodiac Castle don't worry, but I didn't want to put him in chapter 1. But he's in here don't worry…eyes both xCHiNA-GiRL and Assassin Queen…why does everyone keep asking me that!

**Mariko (aka maisuki-chan): **It's okay don't worry! All I care about is people reading my story and nothing more! Though I do like reviews…but as long as you are reading it I'm okay with it! And yeah; I made that technique up. I'm just day dreaming and it just popped into my head. But now I want to make up more moves for the hell of it…but I can't think of anything at the moment…does it really interest you?

Okay thank you very much! It's so cool that everyone is still here; at least I think it's everyone. But I did list so many people…and only around 27 reviews LMAO. Oh well; I suppose its good enough to make me continue. Sayonara!

* * *

**Chapter 2 "Fraudulence" **

An extremely tired teenage boy strode slowly along the edge of the outside hallways; taking his time to look around his surroundings as though it were the first time he had observed it. Looking at the white pebbled grounds, he saw tigers with their claws extended and slowly clawing their nails into the pebbled ground; making a nice curvy line along the land to fashion a beautiful design if you noticed it from a bird's eye view. There did use to be roosters who would create the land even; their sharp eyes studying each pebble, but all of them were wiped out except for the leader; Kureno Sohma, but you would rarely find him.

Seeing a nearby pole that was much wider then he himself, he staggered over to it and gradually leaned his body against it; even breaths to calm his nerves. He heard some voices close to him, but it was probably warriors training like the mortals did when he was back at Mortal Castle. Rubbing his greenish eyes, he looked at his hands and buried deep within his palms were nasty splinters. It was a horrible sight to see that he would mostly hide them behind his back, not wanting anyone to notice them.

"_Hatori-sensei is really strict," _thought Jekou; images of his previous training with him. Just walking around the castle and doing his other tasks, Hatori seemed like a quiet cold person. But with him training Jekou to become an actual dragon…it was different. He didn't shout or anything close to that, but the tone in his voice was so deadly he had no idea how to confront it.

A little pond that only had one lily pad floating along the side, he shook his head off the thought and pushed himself off his supporter, wobbling over to the pond as he practically fell to his knees; ruining parts of the white pebbled ground the tigers worked so hard on. Nearby Zodiacs noticed how strange and weak their Lord's son was acting, but neither of them didn't even make the slightest movement as to come over and check if he was okay. They were specifically given orders to stay away from him until further notice, but Jekou didn't know about this command.

Taking another look at his fractured palms, he couldn't take another moment to think of any thoughts about them as he shoved them into the pond. Immediately he let out a quiet whimper; a feeling of a bee stinging his wounds continuously was the only thought that just stayed in his head. But fighting through the pain he started to viciously rub them; trying to get all the dry blood and stains away so he could at least feel a bit content with himself. He really couldn't tell which was worst; a sphere being thrown at your back or the stinging sentiment within his palms that would never stop.

"Dang it," garbled Jekou, for once removing his hands, he figured that he probably made his hands worst then before seeing as they were so red. "…Bandages will work probably."

"March march march little brother!" cheered a voice behind him, though the tone made him sound far away. "I shall not give my blessings to you without the one I'm giving the sanction to! Thus we shall make the whole castle roar in the honor of your given name!"

"Everyone knows my name!" shouted an annoyed voice. "Get away from my army!"

"'_S that Yuki?" _thought Jekou, standing up from his earlier position and stepping onto the hallway once again, only to cross it and jump onto the other side; almost falling to the ground immediately. Even if he came back with Yuki and the other escapers who left Mortal Castle, he really never did meet up with them for some reason. It wasn't as though he was trying to disregard them, but he just never really ran into them. Even if their castle was a little smaller then the mortals…

Seeing the rat crowd; some laughing with others quarrelling back a little, he made his way up to all of them to get a better look at seeing what was going on. He stood on the tip of his toes since the army was much older then he was, plus making his height a somewhat difference. One of them turned around to tell another one of his kind something when his eyes met Jekou's, seeing that he was trying to see the tumult. He made a rapid idiom as he then started pushing everyone away, knowing that he was the Lord's son.

Jekou already knew why they were moving, so giving them quick thanks he went through the army as one by one they would step away, though the 'talk nineteen to the dozen' continued. (My pop would alwayas say that). And looking at the center of attention, Ayame was still begging his younger brother for a strode around the castle. Some warriors—for what he thought—were on the snake leader's side as some were on the rat leader's side. It was kind of funny since some of Yuki's warriors didn't listen to him.

"Fine!" whined Ayame, dramatically resting his hand on his forehead and wishing away. "No one can ever tell my dearest aspiration for brotherly love! The hardships I must live with everyday because he shoos me away. These tears aren't here because God gave them to me no no! And I had so many things to tell you that might help you with your army as well! Yes, _your _army my breathtaking sibling!"

"Snake leader you have so many wishes don't you?" questioned one of the rats; eyes sparkling. "If I were your brother I would gladly accept any needs just for you!"

"Why, I feel so honored for being loved by my brother's warriors!" cried out Ayame; spinning around. "Why don't you join _my _army and that way I can have a bit of Yuki-kun's characteristics with me!"

"STOP DIRECTING THEM!" snapped Yuki, and by the look in his eyes he was really growing tense. But Ayame was already laughing his drama head off because of Yuki's foolishness, but wanting to look around and see his army's reaction, he took notice in the confused yet somewhat frail Jekou that others stepped away from.

"Ah! Lord Akito's son!" cried out Ayame as he scurried over to him. "You've been with Yuki for the past two months correct? Tell me, has he ever spoken of me during those long terrible months?"

"_No _nii-san," backfired Yuki. "And don't talk to him. Your stupidity might rub off on hi-."

"Nix, it's okay," said Jekou. "Snake leader, the dragon leader asked for your acquaintance."

"…To-Tor-Tori-san has asked for…_me_?" gasped Ayame; covering his mouth to hide is excitement. "I…I'm too speechless!" Quickly turning to his brother and grasping his hands, he sternly spoke, "Yuki, it is time for me to leave your side for now. But I shall return and maybe we can continue this conversation; acceptance?"

Yuki didn't bother to make a single reply, for doing that would just keep him here. And with that, Ayame made an enormous farewell to Yuki's army as some replied in the same tone, some reacting the same way their leader did. With the huge announcement completed, he left all of them as some sighed, wanting the commotion to continue since the whole training seemed to stop…or maybe it was forgotten. But it was entertaining with those two anyway…

"…Practice is over!" ordered Jekou to his army. "Go do whatever you want!"

At first, no one even budge a move. It wasn't because of practice being over so suddenly, but that Lord Akito's son was actually _talking. _Just like many people thought, they would _never _hear him speak a single word at all. Completely muted and isolated, but now he just gave a command to an army; a very skillful army to make things different. But with the strange silence overtaking the grounds, Yuki managed to alter their thoughts.

"All of you can go now," spoke Yuki, and this time his face was back to normal; the ones where the mortal girls from Mortal Castle would gaze at.

With a given nod, all the rat warriors turned around from Yuki and Jekou as the chattering started once again. Some about Jekou, some about Ayame and Yuki (which was mostly the main topic among the crowd) and there were even some conversations happening about training being over so soon because there was some who enjoyed being taught about martial arts dealing with weapons and defense. There were just some who take pleasure in those kinds of activities as some preferred to talk.

"Thank you," said Yuki. "Did Lord Hatori really call in Ayame?"

"He actually did," said Jekou. "But I didn't ask him why. I don't think I would have gotten any answers out of him; even if I am Akito's son."

"I really didn't care if you were speaking the truth or not," said Yuki. "Just as long as Ayame is off my back for one day…are you okay? You look weak somehow."

He made a harsh sigh and without even saying anything, he plopped down onto the ground and felled back. Some rat Zodiacs who were nearby watched as Yuki remained in his standing position. Sitting down on the ground wasn't exactly his thing. Jekou took a huge intake of air as he tossed his head back and forth, wondering if they were in close range to anyone listening to the both of them.

"I don't know if I'm suppose to tell anyone…" spoke Jekou. "But Akito gave Lord Hatori orders to train me in secret."

"He told you this yesterday?" questioned Yuki as he squatted down.

"Just a while ago," said Jekou. "Around noon or something; wants me to be a dragon."

"A dragon?" queried Yuki, his voice showing a bit of interest. "That's a bit sudden seeing that we came back from Mortal Castle only two days ago…"

When Jekou was about to continue their conversation, he noticed something triggered in Yuki's eyes as he then stood back up. His thoughts seemed to be lost for a moment for his eyes didn't wander anywhere except to an empty patch of white pebbled land. Jekou rested on his elbows and shook his head quickly; shaking off the shingles that remained well put in his hair.

"…I have to go somewhere for a minute," said Yuki, looking back down at Jekou who seemed to look perplexed. "I'll inform you about it later on; sorry."

"Oh, uh, that's okay," assured Jekou as he stood up, wiping the grains off his clothes quite rapidly so that no one would notice that he was sloppy in the first place. "You're the rat leader."

"I'll see you when I get the chance," said Yuki as he left Jekou behind. Stepping onto the outside hallway Jekou was once walking on, he went through it and opened the door that led inside, seeing numerous Zodiacs wandering around the place like any other day.

But not exactly going in the same route that he would normally follow, he started heading towards the entrance of the whole castle. Naturally passing through more hallways and four-step stairs. But only two days here in Zodiac Castle and he finally remembered what he was suppose to do. Of course, in the beginning it wasn't actually his intentions to check at all. But still…it somehow stayed stuck in his mind…

"…_**His name is Manabe?" questioned Yuki.**_

"_**Manabe…Kakeru…" finished Machi.**_

"…_**When I go back to Zodiac Castle," said Yuki. "If I can, I'll try to find some information about him. He could still be…um…alive you know."**_

"_Even if I doubt he'll be alive," _thought Yuki. _"It's really the only way to get it out of my head if I just check."_

**Mortal Castle**

Putting on her accustomed green dress, she closed her closet and took a nippy stare out of her window that was built in when some of servants helped repair her room. Another bright day; few clouds here and there, but they were easily imperceptible. Passing by her bed that she had already made (of course telling a few servants she could make it herself) she reached out her hand and opened her bedroom door, not exactly knowing what to do.

The castle seemed to become less exciting to her…but still; there was a war going on right in front of her nose. So how could she be thinking of having fun? Hanajima was in the kitchen once again (well that's her job in the first place) and she didn't want to disrupt her no matter what. And Uotani and Ghanjan were out back busy with the grass that needed to be fertilized. Even with the help of others, it was the castle's garden…a lot to think about for size.

Closing the door behind her, she noticed a couple of servants coming and going through the bedroom in front of hers. A bedroom she really never went into in the times of yore, but only for the past four months has she now memorized every corner and detail in that scope. A bedroom that changed the way she thought of things throughout life…at least that's what she felt like inside. The cat leader's room…the room that also used to belong to King Yishanu's son who was murdered…when Tohru wasn't even around yet.

"_Are they cleaning out his room?" _thought Tohru, a small piece of depression hovering her face. _"…So…Yishanu-san knows that Kyo-kun is gone now. What about Yuki-kun and Momiji-kun? Does he know about them?" _

With every servant coming and going, Tohru was greeted by each of them as Tohru replied back to them. Taking her thoughts off of them, she left the hallway and started going down those spiral stairs she once had to run up and down that one time. She knew that she would never forget that night…that horrible night that only happened two days ago. It was hard to believe that just two days ago, the castle was up in chaos and darkness remained in the atmosphere. Those dragons circulating the castle's boundaries; everyone collapsing on the ground and not showing the slightest movement; feeling most pressured of confusion that she had never felt before. But now it just felt as though it was all in the past. She thought of it…part one for the whole war.

"_But I still miss the three of them," _thought Tohru sadly. _"They each had their own way to bring delight to the castle. Momiji-kun was always hyper and acted like a little kid. Kyo-kun just had this strange air that every time I looked at him, I would feel happy. And Yuki-kun had a calm cheer within himself and he slowly opened up to me, which makes me in high spirits!"_

Now thinking about it…was she happier when the three of them came? More then anything she could wish for, in the beginning she had three friends who would always support her and stay by her side no matter what challenges awaited them; Uotani, Hanajima and Ghanjan. The cheerful moments they spent together since she could remember; almost like a fantasy dream that no one would ever wish would end. All of them together seemed to make up the best group of friends anyone has ever seen. Each one was different, but that's what made the whole group equal into one.

But now with Zodiacs interrupting in their lives, each one of them seemed to be going in a different direction. Momiji was the first Zodiac Tohru laid eyes upon, but immediately he joined the group. They accepted him without a doubt (though Uotani had a little difficulty due to his behavior) and it was as though another missing piece had joined the group. More importantly, Tohru would always be around Momiji since Hanajima, Uotani and Ghanjan were workers for the castle. Even if the rabbit was a prisoner, King Yishanu could already tell that he would be no harm to the castle; let alone a single fly.

Soon after, Lord Kyo, leader of the cats, came into their lives. Followed by the rat leader, Lord Yuki. But this didn't change anything; it only brought pleasure to Tohru. But with the Zodiacs gone, it appeared that the group had collapsed. It was _they_; the Yankee, the Goth, the average servant and the princess, who started the whole group in the first place. So why did it feel like the group didn't exist anymore? Did the Zodiacs really put an impact onto each of them? Or was it just her conscious that made her feel this way?

"_It's weird," _thought Tohru. _"…Even if it doesn't quite make sense…it's still a weird-."_

"DAMMIT OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted a voice that echoed throughout the whole entire the castle. "MOVE IT OR I'LL SLICE YOUR THROAT!"

Tohru heard some light panicking around the place and without even noticing she had already stepped off of the spiral stairs. She looked around, but she didn't see anything unusual going on around the place. But looking at the side where another hallway stretched, servants scurried away from it. She then heard a couple of dishes fall onto the ground as a frightful shriek erupted her thoughts. Because of who she was, she didn't waste a single minute and hurried over to where everyone was rushing away from. Some servants gave her a few warnings, saying that she better leave _him _alone.

"Pri-princess Honda-san King Yishanu is in a gha-ghastly disposition right now!" warned a servant, holding her empty tray up to her chest from the panic she received from her King. "You shouldn't interrupt him at the moment!"

"Uh, no um, it's okay!" replied Tohru, running backwards so she wouldn't be rude to the servant. "Don't worry about him he-he'll be fine!"

Making sure the servant understood her, Tohru turned back around and scurried through the hallways, following the sounds.

"_At least I think so…" _thought Tohru; a sweatdrop falling from her head.

Through the cozy hallways; a nice dark long red carpet that stretched out all the way; a few statues remaining on the side where with the remaining open areas, some servants lingered behind with confusing looks. All the torches that hung on the brick wall were lit out since it was day time now. Spotted doors attached to the wall were secured locked…no one entering or exiting.

But that's when she saw her father trying to go up the stairs; face red with temptation and fury. Kaxa, his closest assistant, was right behind him as she held his wrist, pulling him back from going up the stairs with struggling in her face; showing she was having difficulty stopping him. A few servants who couldn't run away from the sight of their King in this behavior just watched dumbfounded; wondering what was going to happen. But without any hesitation, Tohru rushed up to the two who were causing the commotion.

"King Yishanu this is not a way a King should act in front of his people!" ordered Kaxa, giving the King a harsh tug. But Yishanu merely turned around and pulled his arm away from the grasp of his assistant, hearing a silent gasp from Tohru.

"Don't you _dare _order me a round!" snapped Yishanu, swiping his arm in front of her to make everything clear.

"Yishanu-san!" gasped Tohru, keeping a safe distance from him as she stood next to Kaxa that was clenching her fists. "Yishanu-san what's wrong? Are you okay? Please, lets take you to your room and-"

"Why is it that now people are giving me commands?" he questioned in a bloodcurdling pitch, eyeing his adoptive daughter suspiciously. "Do you want to be the ruler of Mortal Castle now sweetie? Why don't I hand in my heir to you Tohru-kun?"

"Yishanu-san what's wrong?" questioned Tohru, ignoring the rude comment she just received from her father. "…You're scaring me and everyone else Yishanu-san."

Yishanu didn't bother to give any other reply as he started to storm up the stairs, some of the servants quickly bowing to him. But Yishanu merely pushed them away from his path; pulling his cape with him so that no one would step on it. Tohru and Kaxa were the only two who went to capture him for of course no one would have the guts to put a stop to him. He was the King after all. But still…his strange manners were very surprising…

"Tohru-kun open up the first door you see," ordered Kaxa as she pointed up the stairs.

Tohru didn't bother to say anything more as she scampered pass Yishanu, trying hard not to catch his attention or to put a stop to his fuming irritability. But managing to slip under his arm that was close to beating her, she dashed straight up the stairs, almost tumbling over her dress. Listening to what Kaxa had commanded her, the first door she spotted was to her left. Looking behind herself, she saw Kaxa grab Yishanu's arm as he tried to pull it away from her, not exactly wanting to be touched at the moment.

"_What's wrong with Yishanu-san?" _thought Tohru, grabbing the knob and opening it; reluctant that it wasn't locked in the first place. _"I never saw him in this kind of rage before."_

Quickly coming up was Yishanu and Kaxa, of course the King was putting a bad example of being a role model as he forcefully grabbed Kaxa's wrist, pulling her away from him. But having no choice Kaxa grabbed both of his hands with a green aura surrounding her whole body. Doing this, Yishanu's fury temper slowly decreased, however Tohru could easily see the frustration in his eyes as he looked around, wondering why his face was calm.

Kaxa merely walked inside the room Tohru had opened up for them, along with Yishanu right behind her. Making sure that they went inside, Tohru looked around, wondering if anyone was still watching them. No servants were closed behind…but now she knew that they were going to have different thoughts about their King. But she could change that…she didn't want to make the servants or the King uncomfortable with one another. But that same question continued to run through her head, and for some reason she started to feel herself falling into the category of the servant's judgment.

"_Why is Yishanu-san in this kind of behavior?" _thought Tohru, shutting the door behind herself since she thought she should check if Yishanu _was _all right. _"It's kind of scary with him in this kind of manner…"_

"Dammit…" muttered the middle-aged, sitting on a chair that was set besides a bed. Obviously the three of them were in a warrior's room, but whoever the warrior was, it didn't matter to them. Yishanu rested his elbows on his knees as he buried his hands in his face, hiding himself. His brownish hair was a total mess near the bangs and the top of his head, making the King none to bright; a frizzy look.

"Dammit!" he shouted once again, tightening his fingers against his skull. Kaxa remained by his side, staring down at the King of Mortal Castle who now acted like a total child…an angry child to be exact.

"…Yishanu-san?" questioned Tohru steadily, not sure if speaking to him was the right choice in the first place. She knelt down in front of him, glancing up at Kaxa who situated by his side like any assistant would do. But still…the odd part was that Tohru wasn't precisely thinking about Yishanu when she looked at the both of them. Instead…

"…_Kaxa-san and Yishanu-san look like a couple…" _thought Tohru, seeing some curiosity in her eyes that still had an empty space in it. _"…You're not suppose to think of this now! This is wrong! He's with Zeknui-san! Tohru Tohru Tohru Tohru Tohru!"_

"King Yishanu," spoke Kaxa, hearing the harsh tone deep within her throat. The concern look that crossed from her forehead all the way down to her chin; she didn't seem like a regular twenty-one year old. "What's wrong? You're not presenting a good example to everyone in the castle. You're making others petrified."

"…It's nothing," he muttered, sinking his fingers deeper into his bangs. Tohru's face was completely agonized for her own father's sake. It was so eccentric that he would out of the blue proceed this way. She didn't like it…but with everything she said in the past…what she told Kyo-kun about him…she wished she had never said anything. She didn't know anything that could make Yishanu so upset.

"Don't tell me it's nothing," said Kaxa, her voice steady, folding her arms and leaning against one foot. "Didn't you see the commotion you caused everyone? Keep acting this way and you're not going to control this place any longer. Wi-."

"SHUT-UP!" shouted Yishanu, bolting straight into the air as he slammed the chair straight onto the ground, fist clenched together as he eyed Kaxa with fuming brown eyes. Tohru immediately stood away from Yishanu, afraid of what he might do as he continued to observe his helper. Kaxa didn't even budge a single movement, seeing how ridiculous her King was. She expected better of him.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get anything out of Kaxa, he turned away and stormed over to the only window with the curtains half closed. He folded his arms, but one of his hands were over his eyes, shaking his head slowly as Tohru saw him biting his bottom lip. He looked so frustrated…yet for some reason now it appeared that he wasn't in his huge anger mode anymore. It almost seemed as though he were going to…cry.

"Yi-Yishanu-san?" questioned Tohru. _"…That's right. Right now…he's acting like…Kyo-kun."_

"…Gone," he muttered, once again sliding his fingers through his silky hair. His face was serious like any man should have, but even with having that, anyone could see his true emotions as a single tear fell from his eyes. But he ignored the slow falling of it.

"…What's go-?"

"ZEKNUI!" he bellowed, changing his direction at the princess who took a step back. "SHE'S GONE! DISAPPEARED! VANISHED! NO WHERE TO BE FOUND!"

Frustrated with his emotions once again, he moved out of his position and stormed around the room, almost acting as though he were trying to find something to knock over to stress out his anger that kept flowing through his mind and blood. Walking briskly pass her, Tohru made an attempt to grab Yishanu and try to stop him from ruining the warrior's room, but something just stopped her as he went by, finally finding a target that was a dagger held for rarity and quickly swiping it onto the floor. Tohru looked back, wondering what Kaxa was doing; thinking that maybe she would be the one to stop her. But unfortunately all she did was watched the performance, picking up the chair Yishanu had thrown to the ground and merely sitting on it; crossing a leg over the other.

"_She isn't going to do anything?" _thought Tohru, looking back and forth between the King and Kaxa.

Not taking the pain as well as he thought, he changed his direction at the door that was keeping him inside. But only an inch away from grasping it, he immediately withdrew it and backed away, but only to find himself staring angrily at Kaxa once again. All she did was wave her hand at him as though she were saying a nice hello to him; a soft yet nice green glow around the waving hand. Telling that his blood was now boiling at the highest, he made another struggle to open that damn door, only to find himself storming over again to Kaxa. But this time he grabbed her wrist and unsympathetically pulled her to her feet.

"You let me out right now," he ordered, tightening his grasp. But totally forgetting what Kaxa was eligible of doing, the same green glow appeared as Yishanu squinted, but he still held possession of her. "Kaxa!"

"King Yishanu, let go of me," spoke Kaxa smoothly, not wanting to bring his anger into the next level. "It hurts."

Seeing that he wasn't going to listen to her, she had no choice but to quickly strengthen her power and this caused Yishanu to free her. Breathing in and out heavily, he once again eyed Kaxa with his severe eyes. Even though it was more likely for Tohru to start panicking about this state, she was more in a worry condition, which seemed reasonable at the moment. But even with trying to control Yishanu's anger (and for some reason Tohru could see a bit of progress) her thoughts weren't exactly concentrating on that.

"_Zeknui-san is gone?" _thought Tohru, standing by the door just incase Yishanu tried to get out again. She didn't like keeping someone stuck inside…but there was that one time where Yishanu made Kaxa keep everyone locked in since Zodiacs roamed the castle. Her barrier kept everyone in unless the warriors started heading out. And even if this wasn't directly said to Tohru, all of this was under Yishanu's orders.

"_I didn't even noticed that she was gone," _thought Tohru, a look of disappointment in her eyes. _"How could I not know? Everything appeared the same as usual…but that's just me. I was too busy thinking about my emotions and thoughts besides others. If I spoke to Yishanu-san more I would have noticed, wouldn't I?"_

With her thoughts running through her head, she started to see Yishanu and Kaxa having an argument; however Kaxa was the one who was taking it very well. Unlike Yishanu, just like what his assistant thought, he was acting like a little kid. Some kind of King they had. But with the two of them arguing, Tohru could barely catch the words coming out of their thoughts for Zeknui's absence has really gotten the better of her.

She really had a lot to owe to Zeknui now that she thought of it. It was her who brought Yishanu out of the darkness that he secretly kept inside of him. He was more open around people…but that's how everyone gets when something like this happens. She was the one who brought the happiness into Yishanu; sometimes he would have some weird moments, but that was because of her in the first place. It was also Zeknui who brought Kyo's freedom into reality. Without that meeting and Kyo's concern to speak with the King, who knows what would have happened? If Zeknui hadn't come into the picture and given permission for Kyo to roam around the castle freely, things would be much different then it was now. The same with Yuki as well!

"_I should have thanked her the first time I met her," _thought Tohru with a sweatdrop falling from her head. More and more the conversation was coming clearer and clearer to her, and yet it didn't seem as loud as she thought. And if it was even possible, she could clearly tell that Yishanu was cooling down. But when was Tohru ever right about things like this?

"Tohru-kun?" questioned Kaxa, taking her eyes off of the King. "I think King Yishanu is pulling himself together. If it isn't a problem, would you be kind to assure the servants and others that everything is under control? I think he caused them a fright…"

"Oh! Sure!" replied Tohru quickly, not taking the time to answer since it would be somewhat strange to say no. "I'll be happy to! Is Yishanu-san okay?"

Helping him sit on the chair (or more importantly forcing him) she patted his shoulder and made a warm smile to the princess.

"Soon enough," said Kaxa.

Taking Kaxa's answer into a positive hope, Tohru nodded and made a quick bye to her. Of course before going out, she had a little trouble because of the barrier around the door. She wasn't exactly sure if Kaxa still had the barrier up, but looking behind Kaxa she merely chuckled and gave her a nod, gesturing that everything was safe. Opening the door she stepped out; closing the door behind her as she took her last look at Yishanu.

"_Thank goodness," _thought Tohru with a relieved sigh. _"I was so worried…but now with the thoughts that Zeknui-san is gone…it's confusing. Where did she go? She couldn't have gone missing around the castle…no! What if…what if the Zodiacs took her! What if they are using her as bait! They wouldn't do something like that would they!"_

Going down the stairs was difficult for her. Even if Kaxa told her to inform everyone the King would soon pull himself together, Tohru didn't even say a single word with everyone passing her. What _if _the Zodiacs took her so that Yishanu would charge after the Zodiacs? But why would they do that? Each side knew that they would fight no matter what. So why make everything worst? Did they come up with a plan? Was this all a trap? What in the world were the Zodiacs thinking at the moment?

"_This is horrible," _thought Tohru. Her stomach started to growl silently, but she could tell she was starving. She completely forgot what she was suppose to do, so merely following her own thoughts she started going through the hallways, wanting to find Hanajima and asking for something to eat. And of course to tell her that everything was fine with Yishanu.

But due to everything becoming simple once again, she immediately stopped and held a look as though she had seen a ghost. Looking around frantically, she didn't have a clue on what to think now.

"Where's Jekou-kun!" she cried out.

**Zodiac Castle**

Skipping through the diminutive narrow stairs; leaving the soft echoes on the wooden floor. Almost the sound of a horse trotting through the pale grayish stones, only the beats weren't exactly coordinated with a horse. With arms slightly spread in the air to keep her balance in check, she skipped a few stairs and landed in the center of the hallway; almost bumping into a servant that seemed to have nothing to do with her hands. Except she was carrying a basket of small cut up size bread.

Not bothering to ask permission or even ask who it was for, Kagura merely grabbed the first one she saw and tossed it in her mouth, chewing it happily with her face filled with enchantment; fist clench not for frustration, but from contentment. A few crumbs at the side of her lips she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve and gave a light pat to the servant.

"Thank you very much!" said Kagura happily as she made a nice bow, though it was a complete honor to receive a bow by a Zodiac leader. "Keep up the good work!"

And with that she trotted off, leaving the confused servant still holding the basket. Some others who were scrutiny rushed up to her, asking questions about what the whole thing was about and how fortunate she was that she had obtained a curtsy by none other then the boar leader. But still, it was strange to see the boar leader acting this way. She seemed so cheerful then usual…too cheerful to be exact. Of course, she would talk to anyone she saw, but this was too much to take in.

"_Oh I never felt this happy in my life!" _thought Kagura as she started to twirl around through the hallways, arms spread out so she could feel more free of herself then ever.

Finding another entrance of stairs she pranced all the way up, humming a little tune that came from absolutely no where. A simple song that was slowly going through her head…and if she thought about it, it sounded pretty nice. But that wasn't important at the moment because now her heart was so full, she was certain it was going to blow up. Well…in a good way that is.

"_The news has been going around that Lord Kyo and Lord Yuki have returned," _thought Kagura as she squealed to herself. _"Kyo-kun has returned! Is it really true that his soul is in this castle? Oh it's too much to bear!"_

Another squeal escaped her throat and this time she sprinted up the stairs like there was no tomorrow; zooming by corners and a few Zodiacs who watched their boar leader run around the castle like a crazy animal. (Who's one to blame…) It was amazing how these Zodiac leaders were becoming younger and younger. Hatsuharu Sohma was the youngest leader in history to be exact; only at the age of 15 and he was already running his own army. It was so strange…

Unexpectedly she reached for a door and swung it wide open (and surprisingly it was locked…) with the brightest smile a girl could ever have. Looking around the room with eyes sparkling every second, she looked for a certain orange head. But not finding him in his room, a curious thought crossed her face. But that didn't stop her from smiling again as she left the broken door on the floor, running up the stairs that cascaded higher and higher through the castle.

The uppermost door at the top (one that was not locked) she opened it up which led her to almost the top of the castle. But it really was the only entrance to be at the top of the castle. Walking out and feeling the fresh breeze around her, she searched about; looking for that cat leader that's been stuck on her mind for the past 4 months. Worrying about his safety and health; wondering if he would ever set foot back in this castle again; that certain cat.

And her wish being granted, looking up to see another tower that was only about a story high she saw Lord Kyo; sitting on the top. Of course, she had no questions on why he was sitting up there. He liked high places…just like all the other cat Zodiacs roaming around the castle. Kagura's eyes were filled with joy that she couldn't help but swell up with tears…but she didn't want herself to cry. Lord Kyo _was _back at Zodiac grounds and nothing is going to take him away anymore…as long as inspiration was with her, she will never let that happen.

But about to call out to him, something held her back as her throat felt empty. Her eyes wanted to blink, but something kept her from following her orders as all that motivation started to vanish. She held one clench hand to her chest; her eyes still on the boy she had been looking for. With the gentle breeze passing by, his bangs revealed his face that was always hidden because of the length it was (though hers were the same as well…) and she could see a clear description of his face. That once angry expression he held passionately was one that Kagura desired because she could see through it. The annoyance that his eyes would announce when speaking to someone; it was so clear to her in her mind.

Yet what she saw wasn't what she imagined. Instead of the Kyo she pictured in her mind, there was something else that took over him. His face…no anger ran through his forehead all the way down to his chin. Completely calm with no appearance…however the calm wasn't exactly pin-pointing his true emotions. Hidden in his eyes…she could see them clearly and yet her mind was still hazy. Why was it that…

Why did Kyo appear…sad?

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There you go everyone chapter 2 finally done! God…I kept thinking, "Okay this is the day I'm going to finish!" and yet I throw it off. But I finished THANK GOODNESS! I think it was the songs that I'm listening to. See, they're anime songs transferred to the piano and since I played the piano for 7 years I can easily read them. So looking at it I can read it and play it and GOD I'M SO HAPPY! Ha ha. I know there were grammar errors in here (and I think spelling…) but right now it's around 12:30 a.m. and I'm really tired so I don't have the strength to read dramatic pose. And since I have updated in a long time, I just want this to go out so everyone could read this. So I really apologize for any mistakes I made, but next time I'll be sure to correct them as best as I could. Besides…all of you know how _horrible _my grammar is. cries Well, I hope you like the chapter. And hey; I put Kyo in here! And yet…he really didn't do anything sigh. But the next chapter will change…a lot I suppose. So…hope to see you all again soon! Tah tah!


	3. Reminiscence

Welcome back to **"The Cat and the Onigiri Story Part II" **everyone! I know I haven't written in a long time, but school work has been piling up lately, my grades are slightly slipping, and I've been so busy taking care of the house since my mom is always at work and my dad can't walk because of his little 'accident' in Georgia XD. Sad I know. Also I'm not going to answer reviews on this anymore because if you read the new update on the home page of it says there is a new system to replying to reviewers. And I suppose I should do that…so…I'm not really sure how it works, but I hope you all get my answer! Now on with the story!

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**Chapter 3 "Reminiscence" **

The blazing sun had already touched the sky, shining each and every surface that was open for it. Not the slightest breeze swept through; the lavish emerald and yellowish-brown grass remaining in the same position, which is until someone marks their foot on it. Extra pieces of crumpled up orange and reddish leaves surrounded the place as they continued to scattered by each minute passing by. No one would exactly know the point of view nature was giving, but when was the importance of nature ever noticed?

Two figures charged at each other; gripping their swords tightly in the palm of their hands. With their swords raised high above their shoulder, they rammed their blades evenly; struggling to push the other forward or hopefully to make them lose balance. Eyeing each other with all of their might, one tightened his grip and started pushing the other one backwards, wanting to knock him down. But the other wasn't going to give up easily as he merely followed along; running backwards as nervousness started to form around his face.

Seeing that he was going no where, the one pushing the other backwards made a quick attempt as he brought his weapon back to his possession, but only to swing it vertically at his opponent's abdomen. Catching his target, his opponent tripped over himself by suddenness as he then plopped down onto the ground, looking up at his foe to see what he was going to commit next. But all he did was sheathe his sword back and crossed his arms while he looked down at the person he just attacked.

"Got another one," he said as he walked up to him, reaching his hand out. His defeated rival eyed him suspiciously and angrily, but looking down at his stomach, there wasn't really any wound except for his ripped uniform. Trying to hide his surprised face he swiped the helper's hand away and stood up on his own, wiping his behind from the stains.

"Just because you are now a warrior that doesn't mean I have to treat you like one," he snapped, bending down and snatching his sword quickly. "Ghanjan, don't think that I'm going to be brotherly to you because you are now a warrior."

"..Are you really that embarrassed that all you can do is say negative things about me?" Ghanjan questioned, though he didn't show true anger like some others would have done if they were given a comment such as that. "Don't you think it's weird that even though I was only part of the army for a month, I'm still able to defeat you? Not to mention that you've trained for about four years."

Merely chuckling to himself, Ghanjan's opponent stretched his arms into the air as he looked behind himself, seeing off into the distant the other warriors that remained in South Garden. Unlike him and Ghanjan, both of them were away from their destined training area. Even if it might sound a bit strict, no warrior was allowed to leave training quarters until King Yishanu declares it. But Ghanjan had a good reason to break this rule…and even if it didn't bother him, there was still regret deep within.

"Look who's talk'n," said the warrior, looking out of the corner of his eyes. "Even if you were brought back to life, it looks as though you're coming back to your senses. Doesn't even matter if you don't remember being in the army two years ago."

"Don't take your jealousy out on me," sighed Ghanjan. "Talk to Tohru-kun once in a while and maybe we can talk things over."

"Well that is the only reason why she talks to you," he mumbled. "Felt sorry that you were brought to a lower class and all that crap. You went from tough guy to a scrawny boy; who can blame her?"

"Are you speaking rude of her?" backfired Ghanjan with a curious eye brow.

"…Don't always speak what's on your mind you counterfeit," grumbled the warrior. "You merely use the princess as a tool to get away with things. If it wasn't for that battle we wouldn't even been having this conversation. But…who knows what might pop out of the bush?"

At that exact moment a rustling sound triggered Ghanjan's mind and as he turned around, another one of the warriors who was on the same side as Ghanjan unsheathed his sword as he was going to strike it straight at him. Ghanjan was able to dodge him by ducking and quickly backing away from him, facing two of the warriors. They both started to laugh as sweat slowly dripped from Ghanjan's neck. That was quite a shocker there…a real surprise indeed. He saw the 'jumping warrior' sheathe his sword as they continued to chuckle their way.

"_Stupid bastards," _thought Ghanjan who was steadily holding the handle of his sword. His first intention earlier was to withdraw it and block his attack, but instead he merely fled and now here he was; watching the two of them make fun of him.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder as it made a somewhat tight grip on it. Eyes widening, he pulled his weapon out and was about to attack the person behind him. But immediately the figure harshly knocked the weapon out of his hands just by swiping it away with her arm. The sword fell onto the grass as Ghanjan watched it lay there helplessly. But looking back up at the figure, he saw a woman with short black hair that only went behind her ears and up the edge of her neck. Her black eyes eyed Ghanjan severely as he lowered his shoulders; however his breathing continued to race at the same pace.

"…Kaxa-san," he spoke quietly to himself, not believing that he was about to attack King Yishanu's assistant.

Not bothering to say anything, she looked at the two other warriors who had appeared to stop laughing at their little scheme. Observing Kaxa confidently, she folded her arms and ignored Ghanjan.

"What are the three of you doing away from training grounds?" she questioned strictly. "Didn't I make things clear? Go on; get back to your groups and do what your _suppose _to do."

Both the two warriors nodded to her command, but that didn't stop them from snickering to each other as they both turned around and headed back to South Garden. It took a moment for Ghanjan to lower his temper inside his mind before shaking off all that tense around his body. But taking a step forward, he felt something poke him from behind the back. Looking over his shoulder he saw Kaxa with her usual stern eyes; the tip of the black sheathe of her sword prodding his back lightly.

"…What happened Ghanjan?" she spoke. She noticed a swift edgy look in his eyes, but he avoided her face as he looked back at the direction he was going to go.

"It's nothing," replied Ghanjan; however looking down at his sleeve he noticed a small red line. But he knew from Kaxa's point of view she couldn't see it…at least he hoped she didn't. "Just messing around that's all."

He wasn't sure if he satisfied her, but feeling the sheathe removing from his back, he figured that he accomplished something for once. He made a soft sigh so that he couldn't even hear it himself. But still…his heart continued to beat rapidly then usual. He felt fine when he was battling that one warrior, but with the other one popping out of no where and catching him by surprised…that wasn't exactly messing around. And what really concerned him was that Kaxa also gave him a fright just because she placed her hand on his shoulder. He wouldn't usually do that…

"You guys are hopeless," said Kaxa as she walked pass Ghanjan. "Stop acting like an immature child and listen to what you are instructed to do and that is to stay in the directed boundaries; understood?"

He made a quick nod as he followed Kaxa at a slow rate. His unease expression got the better out of him while he gradually played with the crimson thick string that was tied securely to his belt against the neck of his sheathe. He kept his eyes down on the grass while stepping on a couple of leaves that should have been raked up long ago. But with all this confusion escaping the castle, who was to blame that King Yishanu had become more anxious to defeating the Zodiacs then ever? It was clearly reasonable that with the Zodiacs out of the picture, things would become simpler to comprehend…right?

"Don't go picking fights," said Kaxa, but she didn't bother to turn around and face him. "You were brought into the army only a month ago and I understand that you have outsmarted some of the warriors who have been training longer then you have. But that doesn't give you the right to assume that you are the top dog."

"I-!...Understood," mumbled the warrior while clenching his fist easily. It wasn't as though he could respond a _true _answer to every single person he met. Even Tohru wasn't an exception. There were just some things that he had to keep a secret for himself…and once in a while there has to be secrets that he has to keep away from himself as well.

"…I'm not sure if you have noticed," said Kaxa while she turned to face Ghanjan; placing both her hands firmly on her hips. "But everyday you are turning out to be the Kuji Sanada everyone used to look up to. Do those images…still appear?" (If you don't remember, see chapter 9 for details).

"In the past I merely saw cloudy visions," replied Ghanjan. "But that didn't please me. I know I heard things from other people saying stuff about this Kuji Sanada I used to be…was he really that great?"

"Well we didn't call you _the _Kuji Sanada for nothing," said Kaxa. "But if you are capable of overpowering some of our toughest warriors already, you can grow up to be him once again. Possibly you can be superior; it depends on you mostly. I always heard from Tohru-kun that you wanted to be a warrior, but I never heard a reason on why you wanted to. I'm…not going to ask what your motive is, but I just want you to keep a safe distance from others from now on. You aren't the same as others use to reclaim so it's tough for them to decide who you really are."

Ghanjan really didn't have the guts to look back up at Kaxa. Why hadn't he thought about this over these months? In the past he didn't have a single clue on who he was, but with people calling him Kuji, who could blame him for asking questions until the answer suddenly appeared in front of him on a silver platter? Would others still think of him as Kuji even though he had been a servant for quite some time? But now going back into this army business, what decisions could he possibly make?

"Besides," added Kaxa with a wink. "You're a warrior now…the cat leader is gone…why not stick to the 'servant boy' for a little while and see what you can do with Tohru-kun."

Parting his lips slightly, his heart started to pound once again. But the nervousness that he expected to come around never appeared as he kept a straight face. Dropping her arms to her side she strode over to the warrior who seemed busy in thoughts, but his eyes followed every movement King Yishanu's assistant crossed. Only three feet away from his personal self was when she lifted his chin high enough so that she got a good view of his face. His eyes didn't show that same kindness as it did in the past. His bangs grew longer but his hair was still the same length. Can't exactly say he made a huge difference with his outer shell…and yet she couldn't say that he wasn't all that bad…

"I don't know who Kuji Sanada really is," said Kaxa. "…But I do know who Ghanjan Hiyama is. And so does Tohru-kun…I don't like the idea of you and Tohru _together_, but at least I don't get worked up about it. But I'm just telling you; there is another chance. Could be faith anyway…"

"Kaxa-sensei a combat is taking place!" shouted a warrior's voice. "And it's not pretty!"

Kaxa looked behind herself to see if she would notice any child's play while releasing Ghanjan. But unable to see what was occurring, she pivoted briskly and strode towards South Garden as some cheering started to form. Ghanjan wiped his chin softly for he felt a strange feeling…and it wasn't making him comfortable at all. He heard Kaxa shouting something, but all was an echo for him to catch.

Sure, it might have sounded easy by the way Kaxa explained it. With the cat leader gone there was nothing to stand in his way. Becoming a warrior has made him eligible to become closer to the King…and yet there was still a price he had to repay. He knew for sure that King Yishanu had not forgotten the battle with the cats and the dogs. Even if it was a year or two ago, it was he who had caused a wound on the King.

**Zodiac Castle**

He really didn't expect this to occur. Reasoning his thoughts out perfectly, he knew for a fact that the impossible was surely…impossible. But then yet again he did keep a promise to _her_, and it wasn't very honorable to leave a promise hanging off the edge of your tongue. But knowing what was happening through his life, there was a one out of a thousand chance that he could at least get something off his back and accomplish _something _for once. He surely failed his Mortal Castle assignment. Who knew that girl had an affect on him…well, it wasn't exactly the girl who got him caught. She was part of it, but that cat leader…he was the reason that now he had to put up with all of this. The reason that he now had to hang his head low whenever he walked in public. The reason for stopping every ten seconds so he could clear his thoughts. The reason for making that _promise_! If he had gone back into the past and thought of his actions more carefully, then he wouldn't have to put up with-.

"It's funny that you see animals running all over the place you know?" questioned a figure walking behind the rat leader; his head glued to his feet. "It's like a zoo going lose! Funny…and yet again you see a tiger walking next to a monkey like nothing is wrong. How is that possible with real life animals? And you know I really never saw any real life animals around this place!"

Yuki Sohma merely swayed back and forth with his steps as that same annoying voice continued to enter through his ears. He didn't bother to look behind himself at the person that just didn't seem to have a stop button. Just by thinking of his name, he could easily picture him in his mind; a pretty much short decent cut black hair and matching black eyes that shined bright even in the night sky. He had a decent body just like the rat leader; only Lord Yuki was a bit skinnier and had a paler complexion. Only a few inches taller then him, his clothes matched the garments others were wearing…well, of course they had to. But for a person like he himself…

"Don't tell me you kill your own people when they are in their Zodiac forms!" gasped the figure as he jumped in front of Yuki who's head was still stuck to his shoes. "How else would you get meat? I have never once seen a single real life animal! That's terribly disgusting Yuki!"

Mortified by this question, he had enough guts to look around his surroundings. And just like he suspected, there were some Zodiacs eyeing him suspiciously, worried, or mostly just plain confused. But it wasn't their fault that they were staring at the rat leader as though he had gone crazy. What in the world was he doing with _him_? And more importantly, why was he letting him wander around the place; following close behind his existence as though he were a lost puppy trying to find his way home? Zodiacs themselves have a better chance of being around the rat leader then that 'hostage'.

Taking a relieve breath; his eyes steadily rose until he could catch the face that he once felt sorry for. It surely was unbelievable that he felt regretful for him in the beginning; all locked up in that cellar with one or two guards keeping 'lookout' of the place. His hair was greasy as his body looked lifeless; however once Yuki said a clear greeting to him, it was as though his voice had brought all the energy back into the prisoner and sure enough he was talking rapidly as though he were a little kid.

"Manabe…do we look like people who would do that?" asked Yuki, disbelieved that he was actually answering this mortal's question.

"Well it was worth a shot asking," he sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. "Or possibly all of you are vegetarians! Explains why you are so skinny and pale."

"Being a vegetarian doesn't necessarily do that," he mumbled, but that didn't stop Manabe by swinging his arm over the rat leader's neck and playing with his bangs. "…And what are you doing?"

"So you guys aren't vegetarians?" questioned Manabe surprised with another one of his 'wonderful' gasps. But that's when Yuki swiped his arm in front of Manabe so he could have himself back in his possession, but this only made Manabe laugh. "Well then, you really need to pack on the muscles Yun-chan because that didn't even hurt a tiny bit!"

"I wasn't planning on hitting you," spoke Yuki as he started walking once again, but of course there was Manabe; following close behind like he did for the past two months. "I just don't want you touching me."

"Aw, so you really _do _care!" cried out Manabe while giving a hard pat against Lord Yuki's back. "Don't I feel grateful or what?"

"_Why did this…person have to be Manabe?"_ thought Yuki as he felt himself being swayed back and forth by Manabe. _"I should have left Yishanu-san to kill me back then."_

**3rd Floor **

Servants walking down the halls close to Akito's study quickly scurried out of the way as a blur of orange stormed through the halls, knocking everyone off of their feet, smashing not so cheap vases on the ground and in general creating an enormous mess and producing an extremely loud noise. Quiet muttering escaped Zodiacs' mouths while they watched their cat leader angrily pass through the hallways that once used to be spotless.

The door to Akito's study was kicked open, and Kyo Sohma strode in, plopped down on one of the chairs, crossing his arms in front of his chest, fixing an angry expression on his face. But how can you exactly tell if Kyo had an angry face or not? Everyday he would seem piss about something…and yet that was quite similar to other cat Zodiacs as well. Almost as if it were their nature. But weren't cats supposed to be cuddly and elegant? The way the cat leader sat…he was far from being an actual cat.

His ever-composed Lord didn't even look up from his work, opting instead to keep signing documents in his neat handwriting.

"A good day to you too, cat leader," he spoke, eyes still lingering on the papers in front of him. "I trust you had a good morning?"

But even with the deadly silence, it was almost as if time stopped. No answer or a single word came through the cat leader's lips as his eyes remained pinned to Lord Akito. With a mere grin spreading across his face, he started scrimmaging through the papers that were stacked in front of him.

"Tell me," spoke Lord Akito. "Which part of 'do not enter my study ever again unless you knock' do you not understand? I had thought it was quite clear enough, as even the other Zodiacs seemed to understand it.

"Guess it wasn't clear enough," Kyo sneered at his Lord. "I get up, and the first thing I notice is a note sticking out from my door, saying that we are all heading out tomorrow! More importantly, you're putting me with that asshole that calls himself 'rat leader'. Did you go insane or something?"

Taking his eyes from his documents for the first time, Akito gave the cat leader a blank look that you would barely see. It wasn't usual for Akito to create a face such as that, but with Kyo speaking whatever was on his mind, Akito was not the person who would easily accept them. But in this case…what was wrong with playing with his mind for a bit. Something to amuse himself once in a while…

"Apparently, I did, for it seems like I have given you consent to take a seat," replied Akito with a 'what do you think' tone. "Then again, I have not become insane, for I actually did not give you such permission."

Kyo immediately jumped to his feet and stormed up to Akito's desk; slamming his fist on Akito's desk, causing a particularly large pile of papers to topple. But this didn't even catch Akito's attention as he kept his eyes on the crimson eye teen that had literally slammed his whole frustration through his simple desk. It was bizarre that it remained standing…but probably with another punch the whole thing would just collapse. Flaming pupils circled the young youngster just like it would always do whenever he caught a glimpse of his Lord. He wasn't even _trying _to hide the fact that he was forcing out all of his hatred into him, and Akito didn't seem to have any trouble with that matter.

"Stop avoiding the subject!" snapped Kyo. Akito merely folded his hands as he showed a small amount of enjoyment in his eyes. "I want to know why the hell you put me with that rat! I don't need help with anything; let him deal with his own business!"

"Who was captured by our adversaries?" asked Akito as he raised his brows, wondering if Kyo could even give him a straight answer. Kyo opened his mouth to talk back, but nothing was able to come out, and this gave Akito a decent answer. "That's what I thought. The last time I checked, it was still I, Akito Sohma, who is Lord of the Zodiac Lands, and therefore, you should stop questioning my decisions and merely go along with them. It is not as if you have a choice."

"But-," Kyo began.

"Perhaps," Lord Akito sneered. "You should remind yourself of the fact that the rat leader is still our ally. Are you so mundane that you have forgotten it already?"

"I don't care if he's an ally or not, and I know that I can handle everything on my own!" backfired Kyo as he pounded one fist against the desk again, but still it remained to stand for Akito's sake. "So what is this? Some 'act of preparations' because these mortals managed to kick your holy ass!"

Kyo was yelling now, and for a moment, the two Zodiacs stared each other down, each one of them angry in his own way. Kyo with a scowl on his face, furious and growling. But wasn't that a dog's job to be growling and furious when someone starts annoying you? And Akito; the ever collected person, an image of total gracefulness, but with a more deadly glare in his unadulterated dark violet eyes. Of course, Akito was the one with the most self control, and he only spared the cat leader a slight glance before he set his pen to paper again.

"No one in this world has managed to 'kick my holy ass' as you so eloquently put it," spoke Akito darkly. "I don't know what that sickening castle did to you, but you are now under my law once again so I suggest you put your act back together. Now leave my office, but I warn you, the next time you come in like this, I won't go easy on you."

He knew from the back of his hand that whatever Lord Akito said was pure law through his soul, but this was going overboard! Why did Kyo, Lord Kyo of the cat Zodiacs, have to be put side by side with that revolting Lord Yuki? Was it because the mortals were able to catch not only him, but along with Lord Yuki as well? Did Akito actually have some hidden uncomfortable feelings that it would be right if Kyo and Yuki were put together? But he knew for a fact that the two of them didn't get along at all…just like that war two years ago. Did he just forget about the whole thing?

"You think that just because Yuki and I were captured it gives you the right to put us together!" shouted Kyo, and this time Akito's glare deepened. "We both are not weak at all and I know that with us together it would just ruin things even more! Why don't you put Haru with him! That'll make his day I'm sure of that!"

A silence fell, and tension hung thick in the air, but it soon disappeared as Kyo found himself lifted off the ground with one of his Lord's deadly clawed hands tightening his collar; squeezing the life out of him. It was even more surprising that Lord Akito was able to life him up with a single arm…that was strength, he had to admit.

"Leave the rat leader out of this you monster," Akito hissed, narrowing his brows. "You know nothing, you imbecile. We go to war tomorrow, and that is it, end of discussion. Now leave, if you value your life."

At that, Kyo was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, his Lord already on his way back towards the desk, face blank once more, as if nothing had happened. However, there was a short knock on the door, and Kyo watched with amusement how a moment later, a very uncomfortable looking Kagura coming in, squirming under her Lord's cold glare. Even though she noticed Kyo in front of her, knelt on the ground, jumping on top of him with Akito in presence would surely make her nervous. It wouldn't be very mature…but it wasn't as though she could _completely _ignore it.

"M-my Lord…I…I m-must"

"Boar leader," the girl gulped as a pair of murderous dark violet eyes bore into hers. "Stop stuttering and say what you have to say. You are wasting my time otherwise, and you know very well what that means."

"There were some rumors going around that I overheard…" she mumbled, cowering under her Lord's gaze. "They say that…one of our prisoners is walking freely around the castle grounds…the prisoner, he, he's accompanied by Lord Yuki as well."

Dark bluish-purple eyes were narrowed again, and the boar leader ducked reflexively as her Lord approached him, but instead of expecting some harsh threats that she had heard from others in the past, her Lord just walked straight past her and out of the door, leaving a slightly stunned orange head and a relieved girl behind.

"A prisoner walking freely around the castle?" muttered Kyo to himself as he stood up, though there was still anger circulating through his veins. "Heh…wonder what he thinks about the rat leader now?"

But it was completely inevitable that by the next second a girl who was once frightened by speaking to the Lord was now on top of him; wrapping her legs around Kyo's stomach and tightening her arms securely to Kyo's neck as he gasped for air, walking clumsily backwards while hearing chitter-chatter continuously that even though he was at least an inch away from her face she was shouting as though he were deaf. But not able to outstand the sudden hugging and balance, he fell straight to the ground with her, but still she held on for dear life as she giggled happily.

"What the hell are you doing?" shouted Kyo angrily as he tried to pull her off, but her love was too powerful to release him that easily.

"You were gone for so long what do you expect me to do darling?" she cried out as she hugged him even tighter, swinging back and forth as Kyo's head flowed along with it…or should it be 'force' along with it. "I have made a commitment that each and every single day I shall give you a warm, delightful hug so you can remember that someone is always here to love you!"

"This is a torture hug dammit!" bellowed Kyo as he tried to stand up, but Kagura's playful act was just too much as he fell back to the ground again. "AND WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO LET GO!"

"I can't possibly let you go _now _Kyo-kun!" replied Kagura as she snuggled her face in Kyo's hair; his eyes widening with fear yet irritation. "I just got here! You haven't even experienced the tenderness in it yet!"

"What I'm going to feel is a broken neck!" he snapped, and trying as hard as he could he was able to stand up, but Kagura was pinned to his back. Frustration crawling up his spine he heard Kagura squealing with enjoyment.

"A piggy back ride!" she spoke happily as she rested her chin on Kyo's shoulder, looking up at him. She could still see that aggravation that was common in the eyes of the cat leader, so this didn't worry her at all. It just proved that he was his normal self and nothing more. After these past two months, she had no idea what was happening to Kyo when he was kept at Mortal Castle. Who knew what kind of things occurred there? But as long as he's in his usual mood, there is nothing to be worried about.

But she couldn't be sure about that theory. What about that one day where she found out that her beloved Lord Kyo had returned to their castle? Of course, she knew that she was the happiest girl in the whole wide world; Zodiac or Mortal. She just knew that no one could surpass her happiness level. Yet after finding Kyo, that provocation appearance was gone with the wind where he was only left with emotions that probably ran through his mind. It was the first time ever that she experienced a strange feeling throughout herself; seeing Kyo in that kind of position. What could have possibly caused him to react that way when he finally came back to his home? Wasn't he grateful that he had escaped that damn castle that captured him in the first place? Even with these thoughts, she didn't even have the courage to confront him that day as she just left him to be. That was the right choice…right?

"…Hey Kyo-kun?" questioned Kagura as she soften her grip around Kyo's neck. But to her shock he didn't even try to escape from her grasp. She was certain that he would have at least shaken her off. She didn't even realize that she was dozing off until Kyo's crimson eyes looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Oh! Um…er, you don't think that, um, the rumor is true, do you? About the prisoner that is."

"Why you asking me?" he mumbled, looking at the desk that was once separating he and Akito. If that desk wasn't even there and only he and the chair remained, who knew what ideas could pop into his head. "It's not my concern that I have to know everything about that damn rat. But if it's true, I say he's gone crazy. How should I know anyway?"

"_Because you were with him for almost four months," _thought Kagura with a weak smile, looking down at Kyo's arms that were hanging lifelessly at his side. _"Almost four months in Mortal Castle with him…something must have triggered in his mind to do something like that. Freeing a mortal from imprisonment; let alone letting him follow you around. What ever happened to 'humans are filth and therefore should be treated as such'?"_

"Oh," added Kagura as she looked up at him. But this time he kept his eyes on the desk, not bothering to show that he was paying attention. "What are you doing in Lord Akito's office anyway?"

"…Didn't you read that document?" questioned Kyo strictly. "Gave us details about what we're going to do tomorrow. Stupid as he is, he decided to put me with Yuki; that filthy rat. And he says that he's not insane…"

"You still can't get along with him?" she muttered. _"I thought that maybe three months, being the only major Zodiac prisoners at that castle, you two would probably get along. _But it isn't all _that _bad, right? At least you now get to take revenge on Mortal Castle right?" A small giggle escaped her lips, but she really didn't know what she was laughing about. "You must be excited to attack the mortals, huh?"

Expecting Kyo to at least go off topic or reply with an 'unusual' answer, the room was left in silence as it did moments ago with the snapping between the cat leader and the Lord of Zodiac Castle. Not sure if Kyo heard her or not, she looked back up at Kyo to see his face. Her weak smile progressively fell into a disheartened frown; something that didn't exactly suit the girl as others might imagine.

That same image she saw two months ago; the one where Kagura was about to see Kyo once again after around four months, that same expression started to form through his eyes. Kagura knew him too long to know how he was feeling, and in this case, it wasn't good at the moment. Did something she say affect him with his emotions? Maybe talking about Mortal Castle just made him uncomfortable…but…this was Lord Kyo.

"_What happened at Mortal Castle Kyo-kun?" _thought Kagura as she looked back down at Kyo's lifeless arms.

**Mortal Castle**

"I see you succeeded."

Hanajima turned, remaining mute as Uotani came walking towards her with a proud grin. Besides wearing her usual tattered tanned pants and a tucked in white shirt, she was now covered head and toe with garments that were always seen outside of the castle; especially when a battle was about to take place because she was now a warrior surprisingly. It wasn't like King Yishanu to change positions of a person's role. Uotani didn't even know how she was able to join them…but for some reason she would always think back to Tohru.

Uotani standing next to her with her hand against her hip, she didn't start bragging about her uniform. Hanajima glanced warily at her before following her gaze into the direction of a large pathway of the red carpeted hallway that was made with perfection with an appealing girl that was laughing and playing with Hanajima's brother, Megumi. A mere stranger would have thought that Megumi wasn't having fun at all, but Uotani and Hanajima could easily tell that no aloof was looming in the air.

"Perhaps," murmured Hanajima, eyeing her friend with satisfaction, as she was obviously enjoying herself for once. The warrior standing by her side, however, raised her eyebrows.

"What do you mean by 'perhaps'?" questioned Uotani curiously. "She looks a lot better to me…"

Hanajima made a soft sigh and closed her eyes for a moment before looking at the happy princess who had tried so hard to make herself seem like the happiest girl alive. Her personality, mind, soul, actions, everything that made her up was slowly disappearing as day by day her acting started becoming a phony. But no matter what she was still able to manage a smile to anyone…you would barely find a person like that.

"I bet you everything she's showing is an act," said Hanajima smoothly as she noticed a couple of kids waving hi to Megumi. But besides leaving, they merely ran up to the princess as her smile grew even wider. "You were right in your assumption that something was growing on between them…but he left, and the pain that that caused won't go away easily."

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean," said Uotani with a chuckle, but it wasn't as though she were in joy. "…He didn't say anything to her did he?"

"Not all men are as forward as others," spoke Hanajima with a straight face as usual. "If he, as you seem to think, does feel something for her, he hasn't said anything about it. But something did happen." Seeing a curious look from the Yankee who now seemed like a pure Yankee, she shook her head. "I'm just not able to detect it. I can't do those kinds of things."

With a slight shrug, she merely watched Tohru with the little children as though she were running her own daycare.

"If we ever get to see that orange head again, I suggest that we tell Megumi to curse him," said Uotani as she took a huge intake of breath. "…It's okay, really…this way, I've still got something to repay her for,". At that moment, Tohru chose to succumb a laughing fit as some of the children started pretending to be Zodiacs; one crawling on the ground like a tiger and prancing at a child that went into a laughing fit as well.

"But she does look better, that's for sure," Hanajima mumbled as she watched her friend again. Her shift was already over; dinner had passed and it was around eight. But she didn't have a reason to just fall asleep; the night was still young as others would say.

"Yep…our Tohru-kun does look better," said Uotani.

**Tohru's Bedroom**

Already tucked in bed, she rested her arms on top of her stomach while staring up at the ceiling that had somehow caught her interest. Her eyes weren't even close to drooping into a restless sleep as she tilted her head to the side to see a mere wall that almost seems as though it had been built there ever since this castle had exist. But clear enough for her to remember that there once use to be a balcony, and who was the destroyer of that lanai?

"_I feel so clumsy," _thought Tohru with an embarrass smile.

Almost having this same thought for the past two months hasn't been that difficult on her. Sure, maybe some moments where maybe she would be lost in thought and completely forget that she should be sleeping by now, but it didn't exactly scar her life. Making herself feel hopeless wasn't going to help anyone and she knew that. What good would it bring anyway? It would merely bring more depression to other people around her.

"_Uo-chan and Ghanjan-kun are now warriors," _thought Tohru just like she would every once in a while. _"I can't let them worry about me because some friends have disappeared from my life. I still need to cheer them on and give them courage to be the best!"_

The night remained still just like every other hours of darkness. Nothing different about today; it was the usual same routine as always. She would find herself with Megumi a lot nowadays since Hanajima was usually busy with the kitchen; not to mention Ghanjan and Uotani in the army. It was kind of hard to talk with them while they were in training. It only depended on King Yishanu on when break or even a day off was needed…and by how these past weeks have been going by, it seemed logical that that would never occur.

"_I wonder what tomorrow will bring," _thought Tohru, her eyes drooping down until all she saw was pitch black. _"And the day after…"_

* * *

Oh thank GOD! After a complete 3-4 weeks, I have FINALLY finished this chapter. (Though I doubt it's good…I need to update more dammit). I hope all of you like this chapter! I was trying to make things clear in here without actually giving any 'easy' information away you know? So…yeah that's mostly it! Since it's now Thanksgiving Week, I don't think I'm going to be doing that much so I'll try to put as much effort as possible in my other chapters okay? School is getting hard and, surprisingly, I keep getting side tracked and distracted…I hate it. But trust me; I _will _finish this story. I can guarantee that. Well, read, review, repeat please! BYE!

DarkKyo


	4. Assail Part I

Back to this story. I don't know why but writing chapters has become very hard for me because I always get side tracked and I get writers blocks and sometimes I'm just not in the mood. So now since I already have a well progressed plan for this story, (and this really makes me sad due to the fact that it just presents that I'm extremely lazy…and I know some of you will get mad) but all of my stories are on hold except for this one. I will work on them once in a while, but don't expect me to update as fast as possible. God I hate myself…so, on with the chapter I suppose.

* * *

**Chapter 4 "Assail Part I" **

It was always the same. How many times hadn't he seen the effects war had on everything; people dying and entire lands destroyed? How many times hadn't he participated in it himself, killing people with his own hands just like all other Zodiacs? And how many times hadn't he watched the same scene that was now unfolding in front of him? Why…if he even took a moment to calculate all of those events into one, he would never come to a conclusion. Besides…he never even kept track and surely no one else did…unless they were the type of person who loved to be better then anyone else.

He watched with his indifferent mask firmly in place as his army and those of the other leaders marched south, thousands of soldiers steadily walking in the direction of a castle full of humans, who were still oblivious to the danger that was fast approaching, one that would very likely bring their end. For this time, he could guarantee their army was bigger, a lot larger than they had been all those years prior. It was as if Akito had merely been toying with them all until this day, and that now he was really coming to business. And to make things more complicated, he was at the head of the army surprisingly. No one suspected him to come along with them…it was really strange.

He looked for Yuki who was suppose to be walking by his side, but that would be a miracle for the two of them to remain quiet side by side for at least a minute. But a certain person came floating before his eyes. Tohru…they were steadily getting closer to her…and he didn't like it one bit. With every minute passing by, he began to believe that Akito might be right about today; that this time, Akito would get the castle. So his worry mounted as they approached the human stronghold.

He closed his eyes for a moment and immediately, her image came fluttering before his eyes again. Her long, chocolate brown hair, glimmering bright blue eyes, her smooth skin… With every second that passed, more memories of her came floating towards him. Her laughing with pure joy in her eyes, her disoriented and scared look when she had a vision, her soft voice when she always tried to sooth others…but with every second the memories became darker, and she was no longer walking in a garden full of flowers, but walking along the corridors off a destroyed castle, screams and loud noises everywhere…

"_Dammit I don't want to think about her," _he thought to himself; hearing distant conversations around himself as he quickly shook the thought about her away from his mind.

"Well, well Lord Kyo, I didn't know you could sleep even while walking…but then yet again; what is sleep walking?"

His eyes snapped open to send an annoyed glare in the direction of Hatsuharu. Laid back as he is, he didn't take the infuriated glare as a 'get away from me' type of thing. He looked behind himself for a moment to make sure that his army was somewhere near his presence, and luckily they weren't far from him. But for Hatsuharu…all the steer Zodiacs either had black or white hair…or even a combination; but you would rarely find that. And unfortunately, his warriors were scattered all over the place.

"…I don't think I would be doing something like that today," he replied.

"Hmmmm…then perhaps you were already going through your battle tactics?" a low chuckle was heard and he didn't need to look beside him to know that the cat leader had a particular nasty expression on his face. Stretching his right arm in the air, he added, "Deciding on which points to attack, starting with the weakest parts of course, and…"

"I'm not aware of any weakness that the castle has," Kyo interrupted him rudely. Of course, he did know some, but he would be damned if he told Hatsuharu about even the slightest crack in the walls. Even if this was Hatsuharu…he just couldn't risk anything. They would just have to discover things for themselves just like he had to. But then what about Yuki…

However, Hatsuharu wasn't the type of person who would throw things off so easily. Even if it was unlike him, it was somewhat entertaining to toy with the cat leader's mind once in a while. Four months without that orange head around the castle…it was time to make up lost pleasure. He already spent his two months with Lord Yuki…or was that still not enough?

"Oh come on Kyo, you've been there for so long now," said Hatsuharu with his usual tranquil tone. "…and any warrior would have taken the opportunity to get to know a bit more."

Narrowing his eyes at the ox leader, he quickly traveled through his thoughts, trying to think of a possible answer to give him. What could Hatsuharu not know about his four month imprisonment…and yet with ideas about to immerge from his mouth it would always draw back to Yuki. He could never have trust in Yuki and probably for the past two months Yuki had had to say _something _that was part of a weakness for mortals. But why get so worked up about it? It was a reason why he was brought to this world in the first place…

"…What makes you think that I had the ability to do so?" he questioned, and even if Yuki did say he was free around the castle, would he also mentioned Kyo? "After all, if you are locked away there isn't much to explore."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm aware of that," sighed Hatsuharu as he started to fall behind, leaving Kyo to believe that the conversation had just ended. "…But you might've seen something…you never know…"

The cat leader's defiant stare would have killed anyone who looked at him, but the only thing he saw of Hatsuharu was his back as he started going wherever his mind sent him to; heading towards most of the main group of where his army was traveling. Did he know that Kyo hadn't been locked up? He was sure now, for Yuki must have told him something related to that matter. That only left the question; how much did he know of her?

Was she in more danger now?

"_No…Yuki couldn't possibly know about that," _thought Kyo as he spotted the Lord of Zodiac Castle at the head of the army. But Yuki wasn't the only person he had to deal with.

Looking around, passing other warriors who didn't bother to take their eyes upon his, he spotted a certain boy who for some reason was left alone just like Kyo himself even though the rat leader was suppose to be by his side. He didn't show the innocent expression that usually left his eyes without even thinking about it. He looked much stronger then before; courage could be seen and determination. But of course since he had grown a somewhat strange relationship with Jekou, he already knew about his difficulties due to his father and the dragon leader. And he didn't need to bring that thought up at the moment.

"_Would Jekou tell something to Akito about Mortal Castle?" _thought Kyo. _"…No…I can't be positive about that."_

Jekou couldn't possibly commit something like that; not a boy like him. With his previous past dealing with Akito, it was completely accurate that Jekou kept his lips shut…not that it was difficult for him. The two of them didn't exactly have 'quality time' together like they did at Mortal Castle because of Hatori interfering with the two of them. Sure; Kyo wasn't the type of person who would get along with others, but Jekou really was the only person he could communicate with face to face. But with Jekou out of the way, there was one more person that he knew a bad vibe had started to form.

Zeknui…

**Tohru's Room**

The eyes of the princess slowly opened, her feet slightly tangled in the blankets on her bed, her hair faintly messy, her breath coming out in weak yet ragged gasps. She just stared at the ceiling for a moment until she slowly sat up and stared at the wall, her heart pounding like mad, but she didn't show it. She had had such a horrible dream…their castle in ruins; everyone running along the halls, panicked faces and screams everywhere… And even now that she was awake, she still felt weird, and still had this heavy foreboding feeling that left her breathless and scared.

"…Is it already morning?" questioned Tohru as she quickly licked her lips; knowing they were dry because of her breathing.

She hopped out of her bed and threw the head of the blanket to the end of her bed; finishing making her divan. It didn't have to be that neat because no matter how efficient she made it, one maid would have to come in and change it in their own way. Not that it bothered Tohru…well, okay yeah it did somewhat. But it wasn't like her to just confront them and easily say that their service wasn't needed because even if she was the princess, they wouldn't listen.

However during her little plans on what to do today, she suddenly ignored them as she stopped combing her hair, which was already straightened as usual. Even with her bedroom door closed and her balcony being replaced by a mere wall, the windows that barely touched the ceiling remained, and if she was quiet enough, something would be able to go through her ears. Muting herself from thoughts, she started hearing noises coming from outside.

The guards…shouting…

Even if she was confused, she quickly placed her comb down on her vanity and ran past her bed, opened her bedroom door and only took three medium pace steps to the next door in front of her. Hoping that it wasn't possibly locked, she grasped it and turned the knob; nothing stopping her. Relieved that the empty room was still opened to anyone, she scurried inside and passed through all the furniture inside; eyes only remaining on the balcony door.

And once she was able to open that up, she rushed straight to the railings, but to her luck she was only facing the South Garden due to the room's location. But it was enough for her to stare down for guards were running by; some holding tons of weapons in their hands and others merely instructing something that Tohru couldn't quite catch since they mostly spat their words instead of shouting them out.

"Why are they shouting?" questioned Tohru looking through the distance; her eyes passing the barrier. It was indeed morning now for the sun was barely in the sky, creating the sky into a red, orange, yellow and pinkish calm flame atmosphere. On the other hand, the shouts did sound familiar…almost as if it just happened not too long ago.

Loud stomping could be heard through the hallways where the room she was in and her bedroom separated. She could hear her name being called out, the voice having a panic and hasty feeling like she did a while ago after she woke up from that dream. She could tell that someone barged into her room as her name continued to be called out. Becoming worried about her name being continuously called out, she left the balcony as she walked through the 'use-to-be' cat leader's room once again, not taking the time to close the balcony's door. Something bad was going on with this entire abruptness occurring…she could tell. But she didn't like to consider things like that; she had to have a positive mood no matter what.

About to open the door with her hand already an inch from the knob was when it magically swung open, but she was only face to face with a brown haired boy who's eyes widened by the sight of the princess right in front of him. Tohru took a small step back, but that's where she only found her face to brighten as Ghanjan remained bombshell at the head of the door. But it wasn't exactly usual for Ghanjan to just barge around the place shouting out the princess's name… She could see his chest severely rising up and down as though he was having a heart attack, but inside he probably felt like having one at the moment.

"Good morning Ghanjan-kun!" greeted Tohru, though her salutation wasn't as joyful like any other day. "Um, is there something wro-?"

She was cut off as she felt her upper arm being grasped as suddenly her whole body was pulled out of the room without any hesitation. Stumbling a bit, she looked up as she found herself running down the stairs with Ghanjan dragging her along with him. She looked behind herself, wondering if anyone was possibly up there and maybe Ghanjan was just pulling her away. But no figure was behind their tail. But not even looking where she was going (and of course we know her) she didn't quite catch the flatness of the step as she fell straight on Ghanjan, but she was a bit surprised that he was able to remain standing up, his back slightly slouched because of her weight.

"I'm sorry!" she hurriedly said without a single thought. What else was there to say?

But Ghanjan didn't hesitate as he grabbed her arm once again and tugged her along the staircase. Tohru didn't exactly know what to say since Ghanjan wasn't acting like his normal self. Well…actually, for the past month or two he hasn't been acting like himself. But she shouldn't judge him like that; no way that was extremely rude. With him being busy with the army just like Uotani, she had no right to assume things just because she hadn't been with him like those typical days. Yet she really missed those days…except she knew that this was right for Ghanjan. It _was _what he wanted in the beginning…she knew that for a fact.

As Tohru looked over Ghanjan's shoulder—her arm still being held possession by the warrior—she noticed that one servant who was holding a child's hand were rushing down the stairs as well. Just like she herself, the little youngster seemed to be lost in bewilderment. And yet the servant who accompanied the kid didn't even have a single clue on what was happening, but she was just certain that she had to get the kid away from the stairs…or maybe away from the castle? But why? Was King Yishanu going through his 'crazy exploit' again? But that was only two months ago since that happened…

She was too busy concentrating on the servant and the child that suddenly she was tugged to the left; the other two going to the right. Still keeping up with the same pace as Ghanjan, she looked behind herself since this time she wasn't sprinting down the stairs. With every step she took, the child and the servant traveled further and further away from her sight until all was forgotten about the two of them.

But what really caught her attention was that they weren't the only ones running around the place. Servants and others all seemed to be scattering the hallways of the castle. A few shouts echoed throughout the vestibule, but it wasn't as tragic as Ghanjan made her believe. Now that she thought about it, Ghanjan didn't even say a single word about why he suddenly dragged her out of the room. That wasn't exactly like him…he would have at least given her a straight answer so she wouldn't have to worry like this. She didn't like to fret about things; it only made her concern about other things related to that subject.

About to ask him a question (however her voice felt hidden since she wasn't sure if she should talk) she saw a quick glimpse of black pass her without even realizing it. She wanted to look behind herself but she only found herself lying face flat on the ground. Blowing extra strands of hair away from her face and looking up, she realized that not only did she brought herself into landing but she dragged Ghanjan along too. She quickly stood up and scurried over to Ghanjan as he rubbed his head harshly.

"Sorry!" she apologized quickly as she softly held Ghanjan's arm, wondering if he needed help getting up. "Are you hurt oh I'm so sorry!"

"…You're okay right?" he questioned the princess, looking over his shoulder and seeing servants and a few warriors running through the red carpet. With a slow nod from the brown haired girl, Ghanjan swiftly stood on his two feet and this time he seemed more relax…but not enough to actually sooth himself. "We need to get out of here; now."

"…What?" she asked, tilting her head inquisitively. "But wha-?"

Again Ghanjan didn't take any shilly-shallying with time passing by as he grasped his hand into hers; locking his fingers so he had a good firm; hoping things would go smoothly then earlier. Why did Tohru have to be such a klutz? It seemed that there had to be at least five people around her so that she wouldn't be such a hassle to control. And yet she looked so innocent to cause any trouble? This was strange indeed…

"We're going outside," spoke Ghanjan loud enough so his voice could reach Tohru's ears. "We're leaving this castle; everyone is…_hopefully._"**

* * *

**On top of the castle's wall that separated the dry patch earth and the emerald grass stood a lone figure who was tall and slender, calmly regarding the large army in front of her; her violet eyes taking in everything. Kaxa knew that it was dangerous to stand here like this, but she paid no heed to it. However calm she might have looked on the outside, inside she was slowly starting to get worried. She had a specialty with hiding her true emotions; of course she wasn't the only one who was able to do that. She knew plenty of mortals who could do that…like Tohru.

She knew she was neither stupid nor inexperienced, and she had confidence in herself, but she also knew that an army as vast as this one had never been seen before. Her eyes traveled along the rows and rows of soldiers, and it was with some bitterness that she noted that deep beyond the Zodiacs, the cat leader and the rat leader were also present in the army. It worried her, because they both had been free to explore the castle as much as they wanted, and that could only mean one thing; trouble. She had no idea what weakness they may have found, but she realized that she didn't even want to think about it.

She narrowed her eyes as she suddenly caught a pair of green eyes and yellow pupils that immediately brought a thought to her. She had no doubt; no one else she knew could have eyes like those. Down there, on the ground, in the midst of '_his_' army, stood the one and only Lord Yuki, but she looked right past him to the figure with the eyes. There was a lot of distance between them, but she easily recognized Jekou as he firmly stood still. Somehow, she felt even more sullenness at the truth that he too would be fighting against them. The way she helped him not so long ago made her doubt that she was clueless, but now she'd forgotten entirely about that. It seemed like he was just another stupid Zodiac, another evil being, bent on destruction.

She turned and quickly walked away, down the stairs and into the courtyard. Soldiers ran past her to take their position at the walls, and the courtyard was filled with woman and children moving towards the castle. She knew that more of them remained inside the castle because the news had not reached out to every single person. All was happening too fast, but everything would turn out okay. They managed to do the impossible and they would do it once again just like the old days. But today wasn't similar to an old day…

"Kaxa-san!"

She turned around and saw the princess of Mortal Castle running up to her, Ghanjan following behind but in a steadier pace as he looked around his surroundings. Tohru seemed to be rather panicked, but more likely bemused at the same time. Her hair was wild as though a tornado had gone by and this caused Kaxa to look up at Ghanjan sternly. She thought of Tohru like a little sister since they were very much alike…inside that is. Did Ghanjan just push her to hurry up and exit out of the castle?

"Kaxa-san, what is happening out there?" questioned Tohru with large eyes and Kaxa's heart ached. "A-are they attacking!" Again, there would be an attack, and again, her 'sister' was frightened of it. It was not fair, and it was not what she wished for Tohru. The princess hardly knew what peace was even though she tried to show everyone. Just like she herself could barely imagine how it would be without all these fights. But was it her, or were these fights just a waste of time? Different people separated into their groups…disliking the other group…that seemed like a reason.

"No, Tohru-kun," replied Kaxa, but that's when she looked at the entrance to the castle where more servants and a few warriors exited. "They are not attacking us…at least, not yet." And at this moment, Tohru seemed to be a bit relieved, but the word 'yet' got the best of her.

Ghanjan, however, didn't approve this answer and asked, "What do you mean, not yet?"

Kaxa looked at the walls that were now blocking the army from view, though the noise they were making was quite audible. What did she mean by 'not yet?' Of course, they didn't attack yet, but she was quite certain that the Zodiacs remained out there for at least more then ten minutes. Wouldn't one of them at least make a move? Or was it possible that they were just toying with the mortals to hurry the warriors from a sudden battle. Things were getting serious now; everything wanted to go to an end. But if this pace kept going, all the warriors wouldn't be able to fully prepare themselves. They needed to make sure each warrior was dressed properly for combat, make sure they ate so they could have strength, and have the right weapons. Mostly they just needed to be wide awake…

"They are planning something," muttered Kaxa. "I can feel it."

"…Did you also see it?" questioned Tohru suddenly. They all turned around to look at Tohru, who had a confuse look of a puppy once again. "Uh, not that it was out of the blue by any chance! But um…I…I had a dream about something like this…"

That was why all of this seemed familiar with her. It was only about fifteen minutes ago that she woke up from that dream that didn't even come rushing back to her head even though she was practically running through it. But if what she was dreaming about _was _true for real life suddeness that meant that… She bent her head down and seemed to be staring at the ground.

"…What happened Tohru-kun?" queried Ghanjan.

Looking back up, they both frowned as they saw the frightened look on the princess's face. Never once had she seen Princess Tohru Honda looking so terrified in all of her life. Damn those Zodiacs; putting this kind of pressure on an innocent girl such as her. What did she do to deserve this? Now she had a reason to fight against the Zodiacs; no one will ever harm Tohru in any way, not if she was around. They are the ones who had brought this occurrence and they shall leave with the thoughts of Hell.

"…They might take it," spoke Tohru who tried to put on a happy face, but she didn't succeed. "They might take the castle…Kaxa-san, I don't really know. I mean, it's all a dream right? It doesn't mean that it's true or anything…right?"

Even if it wasn't a dream, even if Tohru didn't mention this, why didn't Kaxa think of this in the first place? Of course! Why else would all of the Zodiacs come? Leaving to destroying every single mortal standing on Earth; that would take some time for there were other Zodiacs living on their own away form the castle. And she knew that the Zodiacs knew this fact as well. A possible yet reasonable answer was that they wanted to take the castle into their own hands. Because…once they did that, they could straightforwardly go beyond the border of Mortal Castle, leaving all the other mortals who had true trust in the castle vulnerable.

"Those damn Zodiacs…" muttered Kaxa harshly, leaving Tohru with a small, nervous smile as Ghanjan remained by Tohru's side. It was King Yishanu's orders that Ghanjan would keep an eye on the princess at all times. Even if he was two years older, Yishanu had enough trust in him…or at least that's what he thought.

Kaxa stiffened as she saw how worried Tohru seem to be. Even if it wasn't her intentions to make Kaxa believe this, what could she do? It all fell together perfectly like a puzzle. And what about those visions as well? Could it be true? Had she seen something? Was it possible that her visions could also be reveal in her dreams as well? However, before she could answer, the guards shouted something once more.

Without saying anything Kaxa climbed up the stairs as Tohru followed behind, still confused of what was going through Kaxa's head. Ghanjan tried to stop her, but she was already a step behind Kaxa so he had no choice but to follow behind as well. Soon as they were both standing at the walls where the view of the Zodiac army was clear, a guard came running towards them as he then bowed to Tohru's presence (of course he was surprised by what she was doing up there with Kaxa). Kaxa nodded so she could transfer him out of his thoughts as he then began to speak.

"Kaxa-sama, we have spotted some movement among the enemy," he spoke, pointing somewhere towards the back of the army. "We believe that they may attack soon."

"Very well," replied Kaxa with a nod. "Make sure of that…"

She fell silent and looked beyond the Zodiac warriors. Everyone followed her gaze to find one figure that somehow stood out from everyone else. The only one dress in pure black as his face brought chills through everyone's body. His pale skin completely stood out while his eyes scanned the area, probably making arrangements about what he would do to the home Tohru stayed in. Tohru didn't exactly know how to react when she spotted him; merely standing and looking around as though nothing were happening. Why did he look so familiar to her? She was certain that she had never met him face to face before…

"Is that…?" questioned Ghanjan, leaning forward to the wall.

"Yeah," Kaxa spoke in an undertone voice. "That is Akito…"

Tohru didn't unerringly know _why_, but the moment his name was called out her heart began to speed as she continued to look at this person who Kaxa called 'Akito'. Who was Akito suppose to be? She never heard anything about this 'Akito' person before. Even Ghanjan seemed to have an idea of who he was…how come she didn't? Not that she was angry or disappointed, but it just concerned her that she was so acquainted with him…but only with his appearance.

But that's when she started seeing movement in the back as more guards started shouting orders. Ghanjan, Kaxa and Tohru looked beyond the wall to see the Zodiacs separating from each other. But what really surprised Tohru was that she spotted the rat leader, his face pale and cold just like the first time she met him. Of course, he was beautiful she had to admit. But the word didn't exactly suit him now… But if Lord Yuki was in sight…could that possibly mean that…

Following the rat leader's presence with her eyes, she shifted them back to see seven people who just stood in their same position. Akito was part of them, but the other six didn't seem familiar with her. Four adult male, one male who appeared younger and one adult female…but why did their appearance make them so familiar? She really didn't like thinking about this; she would think that she knew them, and yet she had no clue of who they were. Maybe one of the Zodiacs spoke of them… She didn't remember Kyo, Yuki or Momiji mentioning anything about these seven. Wait…there was one of them that rang a bell. But because she was so far from the sight, she couldn't make him out. Brown hair…green eyes…yellow pupils…or maybe they were orange? All the other people besides him kept changing her sight of his eye color…

"…_Do I know him?" _thought Tohru curiously.

"What are they doing?" Tohru heard Ghanjan whisper to Kaxa.

There was absolute silence as everyone looked on. All the shouting that came from outside and inside the castle just muted as they all stood frozen, looking around, wondering if anything was going to happen. Warriors who held tons of weapons in their arms did the same as well as King Yishanu, who was accompanied by a lot of combatants, narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kaxa, seeing Ghanjan and Tohru with her. What was the princess doing up there? It wasn't right for her to be so close in range…

Kaxa clenched her fists at her side. This was not good, she could just feel it. This was dangerous. This… Her eyes suddenly widened as a strange glow circulated the six people as Akito remained in his same position, watching them.

"This is not good," muttered Ghanjan as he took his eyes away from the scene. "Kaxa this isn't good. This is different."

"…What is it?" questioned Tohru as her heart continued to leap without her command.

But without saying anything, Kaxa released her frustration from her hands as she held it out. Looking back in front of her, Tohru noticed that the green barrier that used to cover the castle came back as it formed from one side of the fortress as it then perfectly extended over the castle, reaching the other side. Now the castle was completely trapped with her powers once again. She heard Ghanjan say something, but she was just worried about the barrier. The last time she saw that barrier was that night when all the Zodiacs had escaped and when Zeknui and Jekou had gone missing…that was still a mystery that none of them could solve.

"…Kaxa-sa-."

"Get down to the courtyard!" Kaxa shouted angrily. Her face seemed stern as both Ghanjan and Tohru made a quiet gasp by Kaxa's sudden order. Tohru didn't take time to hesitate as she followed the Kings' assistant's orders and she rushed down the stairs quickly, Ghanjan following her without saying anything to Kaxa. His eyes had to remain on the princess at all times. He didn't want to ruin it…

But running down the stairs and barely making it to the ground they heard a scream. Looking back up at the sky since the wall blocked their view, the noticed a faint yet visible bright light appearing on the other side of the fortification. She looked at Kaxa to see what her expression might turn out to be, but she was still a mere statue; no idiom while she kept the palm of her hands directed towards the barrier even though it was already up. Looking at other guards who had the guts to remain at the top edge of the wall, she noticed a bit of a bolt of the blue through their eyes as some completely froze. Ghanjan seemed to take the same sight as Tohru did, but he was more concerned about Kaxa than any of the other warriors.

Unexpectedly the guards up on the same platform as Kaxa yelled and screamed as, without the slightest care of others, sprinted down the stairs, pushing other warriors who were trying to stay away from the length of distance between their enemies away from their being. A huge crowd of guards came piling down the stairs as others who remained in the courtyard took this as a sign to stay away…in a panicking way that is. Others tried to push their way into the castle; inhabitants tripping over each other or shoving others away from their personal self.

Tohru didn't want to be caught in that mess and with Kaxa remaining up there, she didn't want to leave her alone. Without even saying a single word she left Ghanjan's side and went back up the stairs even though Kaxa ordered her to stay away. Ghanjan didn't even see the princess leave his side as he cursed under some harsh breaths, but as he was about to run after her and keep her in safe distance, someone grabbed his arm unsympathetically as he was flung back onto his two feet. Tugging his arm and looking angrily at Uotani, he tried to break free as he did, however, he noticed Uotani struggling to keep him in her grasp.

"Tohru-kun is getting near the Zodiacs!" he commanded. "I need to bring her back here!"

"Kaxa can take care of her you know that," shouted Uotani, giving him another tug. "He wants all the warriors to make sure every single person is inside the castle and away from whatever is happening-."

But at that exact moment a thunderous roar triggered through their ears as they both looked up at the sky. But that's where they saw something slowly making its way above the wall as small parts of the thing could be seen. And without another second passing by, a gigantic bottle green dragon immerged from the large wall slowly as it blended slightly with the barrier Kaxa was keeping up. Its red eyes looked at every single mortal who remained frozen by the appearance of its existence; slowly bending its fingers and cracking them for its own goodness. Slowly slivering its way from that damn wall, it seemed to catch someone who was only halfway up the stairs. The long brown hair girl that hung over her shoulders and bright eyes that stood still from its appearance, only she didn't have that frightened look as the others did. Hers was more of a…curious façade.

The two of them just had a rapid connection through their minds, one thinking of this and the other thinking of that. But interrupting that was when five more dragons that were imaged by a different color followed behind, and immediately everyone didn't take a minute to think as then shoving and screaming echoed around the castle. Yet the princess didn't even take her eyes off the green dragon that did the same as well. The shouts rumbling pass their eyes was all but forgotten, and now the new war that had escaped her lips plenty of months ago was becoming a reality…

* * *

Dances with joy until she notices reviewers are watching her Oh um…sits down quickly and fixes hair just looking for that damn book that's all…er, anyway! Yeah that's the end of chapter 4! For ONCE this is actually shorter. Only 15 pages long unlike usual, so you might think that you had improved your reading skills because you read this so fast, but don't jump to conclusions. I just shorten the length. Oh crap; now I just went to 16 pages ha ha! But anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm a _little _disappointed because I felt as though I didn't put that much effort in this story. Hm…but for chapter 5…I'm not sure when I will update that. But I'm going to try and update at least ONE chapter for one of my other stories that are on hold. So until next time…sayonara like I always say. And of course, like I always say; Read, review, repeat!

**DarkKyo**


	5. Assail Part II

Hello and welcome to chapter 5. I really have nothing to say actually…just hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you will have a fantastic New Years Eve when 2006 comes around the corner. With all that taken care of, I suppose I should start writing. Sayonara until later.

* * *

**Chapter 5 "Assail Part II"**

Those huge sapphire eyes that anyone could have recognized pinned the dragon's orbs; seeing something hidden deep within that no one could surely sense what it was thinking. Why did it seem as though she and the dragon were the only ones outside and that everyone else around them was all but forgotten? Was this part of the dragon's doing? Was this some kind of trick the dragon wanted her to believe? No…it couldn't be because why would it concentrate on her and not Kaxa? Kaxa was the one who was trying her hardest to get everyone to safety and preventing the Zodiacs from entering their territory. Did the dragon know that she was the princess? What importance did the princess have besides being…a princess to Mortals? Maybe her powers possibly, but Kaxa was far beyond powerful then she could have ever been.

Something then clicked inside her head as everything around her surrounding started becoming back to her senses. Those screams from every single human behind her echoed near distant paths as a strong yet elegant static sound sizzled in front of Kaxa that seemed to be coming from the palm of her hands. Her body felt heavier then it did before, but that wasn't going to stop her from standing.

Even if she had a worried appearance that caught the dragon's eye, she immediately dashed up the stairs with her head transfixed down to the stairs, breaking the strange eye contact. But only seconds after she ignored the dragon was when she felt its presence move, but she didn't bother to look back and see where it was going. Maybe it was going to do the same ritual it did the night the Zodiacs have left the castle? Were they going to break the barrier again? There was no fact that they were going to commit something just like that, and Tohru knew that Kaxa alone could not face that event again.

Hearing the groaning frustration coming from Kaxa as warriors continued to plead that she should just give up and flee while they still have a chance, they quickly stood back when taking notice upon Tohru as she stood besides Kaxa. Her head seemed to be knocked deadly by something for she couldn't even bring herself to look up at Kaxa as her one black eye scanned her angrily yet fearfully. She knew that she was making Kaxa furious because she didn't listen to her command and all she wanted was safety for her, but Tohru also wanted to bring protection to everyone else as well. She didn't want to make people bow down to her and let her walk all over them. She had to take care of things in her own hands and she was going to do that…literally.

"Tohru-kun…what the hell are you doing up here!" shouted Kaxa angrily, gritting her teeth as she concentrated on the barrier. "I told you to go with Ghanjan-kun!"

"But Kaxa-san you can't stay out here like this," pleaded Tohru as she looked up from strands of brown hair dangling in front of her face. "They might go and break the barrier again like they did last time! They-!"

"Don't you think I know that?" she stammered, finally having the guts to actually face the princess who seemed to be exhausted. It almost seemed as though she were going to collapse. "Why do you think I told you and the others to leave? You think that I was just simply following orders? I _know _they want to break through the barrier…and I know they will. But I'm here so I can protect others, not let others protect me _nor _loose courage to something."

Tohru just couldn't bear seeing Kaxa like this. She was only a few years older then Tohru and yet she was protecting everyone as though they were all her children. So much courage for one woman such as her…she deeply felt grateful to have a friend such as her. She may not look like a woman, but in the inside she was a full lady who would one day make a difference…just like any other person. That's what she thought.

With her lips tightly pressed together, she inhaled a great amount of air while clenching and unclenching her hands. Tohru noticed that Kaxa now completely ignored her, but she knew that Kaxa had to contemplate on the green wavy barricade. Tohru's hands started to glimmer just like the barrier, and without further to do she threw them out in front of her just like Kaxa did as she sent a huge wave of her power at the blockade, and together they strengthen the barrier as much as they could.

Tohru expected that maybe Kaxa might talk back at her and order her to leave while she still had a chance, but instead she noticed a light smirk on her face while she flipped her black night bangs away form her eyes. Tohru couldn't help but smile at Kaxa's strange behavior. She and her were working together, doing the same thing even though they were very different. But Tohru enjoyed being with others who were different from her. It gave her another piece of them to put together within herself. Others made her complete, not just her herself.

They both noticed that the dragons who were circling the barrier narrowed their dazzling scale brows at both the girls whenever they passed by; curious yet intimidated by their strange power that only came from mere mortals. Tohru would always have the tendency to wince when one of the dragon's orbs came tumbling towards her. They were so huge compare to her and yet so bright it would seem like a moon was shining in daytime. The same green eyes that once transfixed her didn't look at her this time whenever it passed by, but instead it stared nastily at Kaxa who couldn't help but keep that silly smirk. Tohru giggled as she felt her strength somewhat weakening, but she knew that things might actually turn out to be good.

And if it was just her or simply a blurry moment coming from her eyes, she could have sworn that she saw a dragon that contained green eyes and yellow pupils…

Unfortunately, Kaxa's sneer quickly frowned into an aggravated snarl as she flinched slightly. Tohru looked back at the barrier, only to find the static going crazy around the outer shell; almost as if it would explode like dynamite. She could sense that all the energy she thought would hold out everything wasn't enough as she felt her body become weaker and weaker by the second. Again her vision was fuzzy for a moment, but she didn't want to show Kaxa how she really felt inside. The barrier just began to lessen, but it did not disappear. The mortals were forced to flee inside the castle to where the guards informed them to follow, and Tohru noticed King Yishanu's assistant becoming very apprehensive.

"Kaxa-san…" she glanced nervously at the short black haired girl. "It is too much…you think we'll make it?"

Kaxa gritted her teeth harder, almost as if she wanted to shatter them. "I don't know. I'm afraid they will attack after this, as we are either all dead, or inside the castle." It seemed that she took a moment of silence to think through her thoughts. "This is not working. Go inside, gather everyone that is not able or necessary to fight and make sure they leave the castle. You are right; this may go very, very wrong."

"B-but…I have to help you!" Tohru looked with wide eyes at the barrier that was slowly dissolving as the dragon's body started becoming transparent through the naked eye.

Kaxa swiftly glared at Tohru with steamy eyes that rose in flames. "No, Tohru! You leave the castle, together with the others!" Kaxa suddenly noticed that Tohru was petrified by the frightening Kaxa who didn't act this way. Biting her lip and closing her eyes, she gave a warm yet cold smile at the princess. "I promise, if it gets too dangerous, I will pull back. Just go, and be safe. Please?"

Tohru felt the hotness liquid forming in her eyes as it then trickled down her pale cheeks that still held a light blush, but Tohru forced herself to turn and run into the castle after she gave Kaxa a massive hug that almost knocked her out of her own two feet. She had known, just after she woke up, that this would be different then other times. And as usual, she was right. How she hated it. Couldn't she be wrong at least once in her life! But who was she to say? There was a thing call destiny, and if destiny had decided to place this event on the world, then it shall occur.

But…was it right to change destiny's ways?

Just before she entered the castle, she glanced over her shoulder once more and watched Kaxa continue to push back the barrier, though no progress was actually showing as the haunting images of the dragons kept coming to her view. She noticed King Yishanu far from the other side of where she was; gathering his warriors and preparing them to fight; saw every soldier looking rather frightened, standing at their positions, becoming a bit more visible through the tears that once fell. They stared at the wall, the only solid thing that now stood between them and their enemies. Had they gather all the warriors; or where there more to be collected? But Tohru didn't want any more warriors joining that army. That wall in front of them is still standing tall…

The question was; how much longer would they stand?

**Zodiac Army**

The grand ruler of the Zodiacs merely stood at the plains of the entrance to Mortal Castle as he transfixed his eyes on the woman who was trying her hardest to keep the barrier standing. What were the mortals doing on the other side anyway? Were they actually going to fight back against them even though it was just short notice? How pathetic, he thought. The dragons who continued circling around the barrier seemed to be thinking the same thing and Akito could surely tell that his assumptions would surely come to a precise accuracy.

Behind the leader stood all the other warrior Zodiacs who waited until the first task was completed. Some chitter chatter took place once in a while, but all of them stood quite still and rummaged through their heads; thinking of this and that and what to do once inside. They were still in their rows; completely lined up in perfect position; no man or woman out of place. Some of the Zodiacs had already prepared themselves for the happening. Wherever the entire cat Zodiacs was located, they were holding on to their bracelet very cautiously, clenching their teeth as they focused on the timing of when the first assignment was accomplished.

Even though he was the rat, he was _the _rat leader, and therefore he was ahead of plenty of Zodiacs. Alas, since it was Akito's rules, he had to be partner up with Kyo, the cat leader, for the two of them had been trapped in the castle that they now wanted to conquer. Akito basically assumed that the two of them could roam around the place and find the mortals and possibly make them servants and give out clues on how to get on the other side of Mortal Castle to where other humans laid their hearts to the warriors, or to simply kill them. But just because he was teamed up with Kyo, that doesn't mean he had to stand side by side with him. Only a few feet away—say about twenty feet; minimum—and he could still hear Kyo muttering something to himself. How pitiable. That cat could never keep himself quiet.

But Yuki wasn't entirely thinking about the cat leader or what to do once inside. There was another problem that he just couldn't exactly solve. Why didn't Akito use this method in the first place? They had enough dragons to do this task, and yet Akito chose the time to do this now? Was it because Akito thought that he, Kyo and Jekou had enough time to know the castle? He was certain that Zeknui reported every little detail to Akito, so there was no excuse to say that he was locked up for four months straight. That seemed like a reasonable answer…but even so; even if they didn't know the areas around the castle, they could just dash inside and find whatever they needed. They had enough 'critters' to find hidden places.

"_What is his true reason?" _thought Yuki.

**Mortal Castle**

"Be careful, you could fall! Come on, I know you're tired but we have to hurry!"

Hundreds of people were hurrying through a tunnel, not quite running but still walking at a quick pace. Some torches were lit because the tunnel was very dark and dreary as some might say. They created rather scary shadows on the walls that only darkened the mood, and this kind of mood wasn't needed at all for a day like this.

Tohru was walking somewhere in the middle. Others who had a semi-close relationship with the princess had been with her. But not so long ago separated by others. It was all women, children, and elderly people. Only those who fought in their army had to stay behind, and just thinking about this caused a horrible pain in Tohru's stomach. She didn't know if Ghanjan or Uotani were with that army, but there was a likely chance that they were; especially Ghanjan. His former senses were slowly coming back to him…and Tohru felt obliged yet remorse about it. Hanajima and Megumi were no where to be seen which frightened her, but she knew that they were somewhere in this crowd and she would see them again when they all escaped the tunnel.

These secret passageways had been made not too long ago, but it did lack of age, when the castle was first built. Although the humans didn't compete in _this _kind of war that often, as they were rather peaceful people, they still thought a lot about their safety, and they weren't foolish. Someone clearly came upon the idea that maybe, in the future, they would need a way to escape, and Tohru was surely content that this person spoken out his or her thoughts. The tunnel led to the other side of where the castle was located. The other side was where all other mortals remained at, depending on the people at Mortal Castle to do what they had to do. Some might think that there was another castle just like theirs on the other side of the world, but surely they were wrong for only an ocean can be seen. Dragons and sea horses had tried to swim across, but their Zodiac form can only stay for an amount of time.

"Tohru-kun!" shouted a voice through the crowd. Tohru glanced up from staring at the ground as someone called out her name once again. It sounded familiar… Her name was called out again, and this it was clear.

"Ghanjan-kun!"

An arm rose in the air, waving harshly as some little pestering started to form around it. Even though she knew it was rude, Tohru pushed herself through the crowd as she tried to find the person who owned that arm. It continued to wave in the air, remaining at the same spot as sometimes it would move slightly to the right or the left or forward. Sometimes she bumped into people as they gave her evil glares, but they immediately bowed to the princess and gave her a slight smile. Tohru couldn't tell if this was causing trouble for everyone. She was the princess but still the other mortals needed protection. And others might think that she was trying to leave the tunnel and head towards the danger…

Immediately someone grabbed her arm and tugged her away from the crowd that only seemed to be following the same path as others in front of them took. Tohru found herself at the side of the pathway where two arms embraced her tightly; her hands pressed firmly on the figure's chest. Barely able to breathe by both tiredness and possibly by the lack of oxygen the squeeze caused, she shifted her little body through the arms as she looked up at the person, only to see his hair as his head was over her shoulder.

"Ghanjan-kun?" questioned Tohru confused yet surprised.

He slightly pulled her away from him, but held her shoulders firmly. "I'm so glad that you're in here Tohru-kun. I thought you were still out there with Kaxa-san…"

"I-I thought you were with the warriors outside!" her sapphire eyes reached out to him so tenderly, he couldn't help himself but chuckle. "Is Uo-chan in here too?"

"Yeah," replied Ghanjan. "King Yishanu ordered both of us to make sure everyone who wasn't capable of fighting were to be evacuated from the castle immediately. Other warriors were given the job as well… But God…Tohru…you gave me a heart attack when you went to Kaxa-san. Not that I trust her…but those dragons…"

"I think they're going to break in," said Tohru as Ghanjan's hands caressed her arms easily. "Like that one time when Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun and Momiji-kun escaped the castle to retreat to Zodiac Castle? They might do that again."

"Kaxa-san is still out there?" he saw how still Tohru stood for a moment, but she easily nodded.

"_**I promise you, if it gets too dangerous, I will pull back."**_

She couldn't exactly tell if it was her or not, but something inside of her chest just wanted to explode as a strange tingling sensation started to form. Almost like the same kind of feeling when she exposes her powers…but she didn't give off any wave of her powers… She looked up at Ghanjan who was watching others passing by, sometimes giving them orders to watch where they were going. Tohru didn't see Kaxa come by yet… Could she still be out there? But she did say that if things get too dangerous, she would come into the tunnel and escape. But…did she really mean that? Or…was she trying to find an excuse to make Tohru leave so she could protect her? She would always do things like that…

Looking up at Ghanjan-kun, her voice caught his attention. "Ghanjan-kun I… I'm going to go to the back and make sure Kaxa-san passed through, okay?"

"But Toh-!"

"I'll see if she passed by!" interrupted Tohru quickly, though she felt her cheeks burn up by being so rude like that. "I'll ask others if they seen her go through the tunnel. And if she did, then I'll turn back and find you. If she didn't…I'll wait by the back. But as soon as I feel or see something unusual, I'll put a powerful barrier around the tunnel entrance. Please, Ghanjan-kun?"

She could see the frustration in his eyes dwelling up once again. He started to shake his head while looking down at the ground; squeezing Tohru's arms harshly. She did make a tiny wince, but not loud enough for him to hear since the crowd passing by blocked out all sounds. His bangs hid his beautiful eyes that were now thunderous and under pressure at the moment. However, she saw the side of his lip tug as he then grabbed her in his arms once again, pulling her into a hug. Tohru never really thought of this…but Ghanjan really never hugged her. Why was he suddenly hugging her continuously now?

He rested his cheek on top of her head. "Go to the back and make sure you ask others if Kaxa-san had gone by. If she didn't, wait at the entrance of the tunnel for her. If you see something unusual, put the barrier up immediately. Keep your words?"

Again, that knife stabbing pain went through her chest as she tightened her eyes, wanting to fight the pain because she was actually going to _lie _to her friend…her 'brother'. Clenching his shirt lightly, she nodded. Ghanjan made a 'defeat' exhale as he then pressed his lips against the top of her head. The he finally released her. Tohru made a gloomy yet somehow comfortable smile as she then turned her back on him, going the opposite way where the crowd was storming after her. Ghanjan felt the urge to run after her again, but she said that she would keep her words…and he would believe her.

But…just to be on the safe side, he didn't move forward with the crowd. Instead he remained where he was; at the side of the tunnel where the torch was almost above his head, but slightly plastered over to the right. He knew that people were looking at him uneasy, wondering why he wasn't going through the mob to escape. But they didn't have time to stop themselves for others just kept piling up.

"_Keep your words…"_

Tohru continued to push herself through everyone in the most mannerism way, not wanting to bother anyone that wanted to save their own life. She didn't have any trouble with that whatsoever; they wanted to continue their life in a peaceful matter. Even Tohru wanted to continue her life, but she wanted to continue it with someone who had given her so much. If Kaxa wasn't there with her, what would life be?

"_Everything will be fine," _thought Tohru to herself. _"…I'll find Kaxa-san and everything will be fine."_

She ran through the tunnel as the people went the opposite direction. Fewer people came through her eyes, and once every ten seconds one person would stop her and order her to turn back and go to safety. But Tohru would make an excuse saying that King Yishanu had order her to make sure every single person unable to fight came through the tunnel, and once that was done she would place the barrier up. Others listen to her and gave their deepest sanction that she would return safely with them. Some of them even offered to keep her company since she was after all the princess—and it would be a deadly day if King Yishanu found out something happened to his daughter—but Tohru, as hard as she could, changed their thoughts and assured them that she was strong enough.

"_I never knew so many people are worried about my safety," _thought Tohru, a huge amount of sorrow going through her throat.

Surprisingly, one person who was a mere servant passed by her heading in the direction where protection was read all over, Tohru found the entrance to the tunnel where the door was still slightly opened. A bit of happiness leaped through her heart, but she didn't take a chance to stop herself as she rushed out the door. Besides guarding the door like she said, she instead slowly strolled through the skinny monotonous foyer. Finding another door that was left open, she rushed through it as then cellars could be seen on either side of her. There wasn't anyone locked up inside this place, so passing by that she rushed up the mini stairs that were only about five steps as she grasped a door that was closed. And once opening it, she stood in the hallways that were once filled with smiles of people. It was quiet in here…nothing could be heard except the soft echoes coming from her shoes. The castle felt deserted… It was an uncomfortable feeling for her.

Looking back and forth between the hallways, she thought, _"Maybe everyone escaped?" _

It had been quite awhile before her ears picked up the sound of feet moving and silent talking. She made a curious glower, but then her eyes immediately shifted into a surprised mode. Of course; all the other warriors! But that would mean…no…that couldn't be the answer. Was their castle taken! Of course not! Maybe they were fetching more weapons!

As she spotted a niche not so far away from her, she quickly hid in it, and with fear rummaging through her eyes and chilling around her body, she noticed rows of warriors passing by. This was not a few warriors like she thought. This was almost the entire army passing by and none of them even noticed their presence! Their face held terror yet dullness while each passed by Tohru's hiding place. She looked around, wondering if she would spot a woman with short black hair and pure night eyes, but her appearance didn't even come across her eyes. She couldn't possibly be out there still! King Yishanu was somewhere near the back as he held his right arm slightly, but Tohru couldn't exactly tell why. He wasn't injured, was he? Tohru did not call out to them and she did not follow them, No…the fact that their castle was probably taken made her only stronger in her belief that she would find Kaxa. She did get herself into this mess in the first place.

Not long after that, when she knew that all the others had left her surroundings, she slowly moved out of her hiding place and made sure that she was alone once again. The warriors were abandoning the castle…but Kaxa was no where to be seen among the group! What did this mean? She…she couldn't possibly be captured! Or worst…

"_No she's probably still producing the barrier!" _thought Tohru, biting her lip. Then yet again, why did all the warriors suddenly passed by her heading towards the cellars. And only going through the cellars was where the tunnel was placed at...

**Tunnel**

Ghanjan kept looking up from his dark brown boots, wondering if he would spot Tohru and Kaxa rushing up to him. But as the time went by, only ten or eleven people passed by until no one else came across his being. Thinking that he probably missed a glance at them, he sprinted through the crowds, this time keeping his eyes focus on two people. The princess of Mortal Castle and King Yishanu's assistant. With so many people passing by, it was obvious that he just missed them passing by. Tohru also did the same as well, knowing how clueless she could be at times.

"_Where are they?"_

Quickly someone grabbed the belt that was secured around his waist as he was tugged backwards, almost loosing his balance. Turning around and making sure that his weapon didn't fall out of place his eyes came upon two dark hazel ones that glared at him angrily. He was relieved yet disappointed because he was so certain that the person who had grabbed him was Kaxa. But it had to be Uotani…but wasn't Uotani suppose to be in the front?

"Aren't you suppose to be in the front?" he questioned, fixing his belt.

"Yeah I was…" spoke Uotani in a louder tone since everyone else's voice kept overpowering hers. "But…hey Ghan where's Tohru-kun?"

Ghanjan parted his lips slightly, but it took him a moment before words actually came out. "She went to the back to make sure Kaxa-san came."

"…But…Kaxa-san is in the front…" Uotani was actually directing this to herself, but it somehow came through Ghanjan's ears. Did he actually hear her correctly? Was Kaxa-san in the front?

"Ghan!" snapped Uotani, bringing his focus back to her. "Kaxa-san sent me back here to find Tohru-kun! She wanted to know if she was all right! And you said that Tohru went out to find her?"

"Yeah but-." Wait…maybe what Tohru told him wasn't the truth. The Princess of Mortal Castle would never lie, but after what had happened for the past six months, things have changed around this area. The Zodiacs were charging in, yes, but…what if Tohru _wasn't _looking for Kaxa? What if…instead…she went to find _him_?

Immediately he turned around at the balls of his feet and pushed his way through the crowd, leaving everything behind. That couldn't be possible…she wouldn't have done something like that! Not in a million years would she say or do something this crazy! Was she that desperate to actually find _him_! She _lied _to him! Him! Ghanjan! Others who came across him backed away quickly, noticing how heated his eyes seemed to produce through his whole body. He wasn't the type of person to talk to at the moment…

But that couldn't stop a certain someone from locking both of his hands behind his back as her other arm swung around his neck, tightening him against her as he struggled to be free. Uotani clenched Ghanjan's hands together as hard as she could, but she couldn't prevent herself from tightening her arm that was around Ghanjan's neck. Surprisingly, this didn't stop Ghanjan from the struggle to be set free. He broke one of his arms free, but Uotani had a tight grip against him. She wasn't going to let him go that easily…and even though she wanted to so badly, she knew that it wouldn't be right.

"What the hell are you doing!" shouted Ghanjan. He really wanted to elbow Uotani right at the stomach, but it wasn't like him to hit a girl. But Uotani… "She's out there!"

"The Zodiacs have broken in Ghan!" she harshly whispered so that people who were slowly passing by didn't hear. "Kaxa told me! The Zodiacs broke through Kaxa-san's barrier so we're all retreating to the other side! They're roaming the castle Ghan! You can't go out there!"

"But _she's _out there!" he bellowed, not caring of what others thought. "You expect me to leave her out there!"

"This time, yes!" she shouted, becoming very frustrated with Ghan's behavior. "The warriors are coming into the tunnel, so they probably found her and took her back with them! They wouldn't let her go around the castle!"

Grinding his teeth harshly, he couldn't find another excuse to chase after Tohru. The warriors were coming into the tunnel to escape since the Zodiacs had broken in. It was very possible that they spotted Tohru and took her with them. With King Yishanu with them, there was no way that he would let her go around the place. But what if they didn't see her? Could that be feasible? But what if it wasn't… King Yishanu would surely find a cold place to fit him in his heart. But that really didn't concern him… It was Tohru's safety that ran through his mind. If she wasn't with him when they escaped… She said she would keep her words…she said she would…

Uotani held on tighter and tried her hardest to pull him with the crowd as he started to struggle, wanting to be free. Couldn't he see that she wanted to go out there and look for her too? Did he think that Uotani didn't care for the princess as much as she did? Well…she was making it look like it. But what else could she do? If they both went back there, they would surely run into the warriors. And besides, those warriors probably caught Tohru. And as the minutes went by, she was coming closer to the both of them.

"_Those warriors better have Tohru with them," _thought Uotani, forming a v shape with her brows. _"If they don't…"_

**Hallways**

Suddenly a light squeak made her flinch as she was about to gasp, but she quickly covered her mouth as she looked around the hallways, wondering where it came from. It sounded like an animal…a small critter. But in Mortal Castle, no animals were allowed. Only animals on the other side of where Mortal Castle was protecting could produce meat since no Zodiac could possibly go on their side. Once or twice a week they would ship out the food for them; no regrets with loosing such delicacy.

"_Maybe that was just my shoes," _thought Tohru as a nervous smile crossed her face.

But the squeak just echoed again, and this time more and more of those light small peeps filled the once hushed vestibule. She looked around the place; hands still clasped over her mouth so that she wouldn't produce a loud noise when it wasn't necessary. Her heart started to race as that uncomfortable feeling went through her stomach; butterflies that wanted to come out of her throat and escape that sore feeling. She hadn't felt this way in a long time…

Looking down at the ground, carefully positing her feet incase something abruptly popped out, she caught something out of the corner of her eyes. Two eyes watching her every move… She glanced up slowly at a small crack on a wall that she never knew was there. But hidden inside the crack were two cold lavender eyes, glaring at her intensely. But not a single person could fit through that crack and contain small eyes such as those…

Eyes of a rat…

Inhaling a huge amount of air, she quickly turned around and saw two more rats looking up at her; one containing red eyes with grayish fur and the other with smoky eyes and the same color hair. She didn't take a moment to figure out what they were as she then left off into a sprint. Her first intentions was to go back to the tunnel and escape while she still had a chance, but that would only leave the rats to follow her and then the mortal's secret getaway would be revealed. She found herself in a tight position. She couldn't go back now, not if she wanted to put her people in danger.

She had always been quite the person who put others first.

But the more she ran, more small rat eyes caught her sapphire orbs as she would quickly look away, not wanting to glance upon them. The Zodiacs had broken in…they really had broken in. Tohru had no idea where to go now. She wanted to produce a barrier around herself, but the problem was that so much trepidation had gone throughout her body she didn't even have the smallest amount of potency to do something such as that. She continued to hear the rats squeaking calls as this brought frisson through her spine.

Quickly turning a corner of a hallway that would lead to a three-way hall, she bumped into someone as a huge purple smoke erupted right in front of her. She couldn't prevent herself from falling backwards as the shivers continued to play with her body. Once that smoke vanished, a small rat stood in front of her, only to glare angrily at her sight. Clothes laid besides it while it slowly backed away, but not because of apprehension for the dissimilarity of their height was surely different. It had a hoary fur with lilac eyes, but the rat didn't look familiar to her at all. There was one that she knew…

She scrambled herself away from the rat as she then stood on her two feet, but that's when other figures started becoming visible to her. Their strange hair and eye color fixed her directly as rapidly she backed away little by little, finding herself in true foremost jeopardy. They eyed her vigilantly, studying her movements and the breathing that seemed to come out insensitively. Out of the blue the figures sprinted straight at her, forcing her to turn around and run.

But there were others behind her as they were also coming straight for her. She looked hesitantly back and forth, wondering where to go. She couldn't go left or right unless she wanted to run straight into the wall. Sometimes she took a step forward and sometimes a step backwards, but there really wasn't a way to escape. And that barrier she wanted to produce so badly wasn't strong enough to come out from its shell. What was going on?

Seeing that the one coming in front of her was closer to her being, she turned around to only find herself trapped in the hands of Zodiacs, and sadly they were females. Only a few males stood away, not wanting themselves to transform because their intruder was a mere girl. Tohru somewhat struggled, but her knees buckled together and soon she knew that the Zodiacs were keeping her on her two legs. The figure she bumped into earlier was suddenly surrounded by smoke again as Tohru stared at it surprised. She noticed swift movement coming from the figure and as soon as the smoke vanished, she saw a male who only wore the tight leather pants; shirtless since he had just transformed back. He eyed the princess angrily in a cold way while slowly putting the rest of his uniform back on.

"Where did all the mortals go girl?" ordered one of the females, grasping her neck with her cold hands.

Even if Tohru wanted to say something, she couldn't help but keep her mouth shut. This was too much. Her life was at risk and with one wrong move, she could end it all. All she wanted to do was to see if Kaxa had returned like she said, but maybe she was still out there. She could have possibly been captured by the Zodiacs as well! And she was more civilized with knowing what to do and say…

"Answer girl!" another female ordered, reaching slowly for her weapon.

She shut her eyes, wondering what to do. She didn't want to reveal where her people were at! If she did, then hundreds, thousands of lives would be at stake because of her. All because of her selfish desire that she should live and that she was afraid of death. But if she kept her mouth shut, then her people would be saved and only her life would be lost. That was better then thousands dying because of a single answer. If Kaxa were in this kind of position, she would have kept her mouth tightly shut no matter what the consequences were. Tohru wanted to be like Kaxa; filled with courage and no ounce of fear. That was who she wanted to be. And so she did not answer.

She was expecting another order from one of the Zodiacs or maybe a hit and she knew that she wasn't the kind of person who could take these things. But nothing happened. The Zodiac females still held her tightly, but they didn't do anything. Tohru slowly lifted her head, her heart continuing to pound like a thunder storm. She looked through her coffee brown bangs to see what had stopped all the Zodiacs. But what her sapphire orbs found was something she did not tend to see ever again.

"…Lord Yuki," she spoke softly in a raspy whisper.

* * *

YAY! I finish this chapter! I had NO idea that this would go this long because there was something else I wanted to put in here, but then that would make the chapter at least…four more pages or something. And that would go over my limit. I think halfway down the chapter wasn't my best because I was trying to finish this by today since I feel like I'm on a roll with writing. So please, feel mad if it didn't sound good. But I do hope that you all enjoyed the chapter as much as I wrote it! And I wrote it in two days nevertheless! I suppose this could be my News Years Gift for everyone! So hope you enjoyed this! Please repeat the three r's! Read, Review, Repeat.

**DarkKyo**


	6. Incarcerate

Hey everyone! Yeah I know it's been like…a month since I updated ha ha. Sorry but I've been having a hard time at school with all of these projects coming since I only have two more days of school (year round school URAH!). At least I got all straight A's XD. I don't even try at school so it kind of surprises me… Anyway, I usually don't get gifts when I get good grades, but I'm going to get the tip of my ear pierced around February. I can't wait! I also want to high light my hair but my mom won't shut up about "natural beauty". I have natural eye liner and lip liner ha ha! No I'm serious I really do ha ha! It's strange. I guess my mom was too into the 'dressing up little girls' kind of thing. And here I am just rambling along the way. So I'll get started. Chapter 6 right here! (and yes I know I put chapter 7 on my profile XD. Hey I have 3 other stories going around I can't keep track all the time!) And I have that other story I'm working on that's not on Fanfiction, but that's not important at the moment!

* * *

**Chapter 6 "Incarcerate"**

**Before**

Seeing that the one coming in front of her was closer to her being, she turned around to only find herself trapped in the hands of Zodiacs, and sadly they were females. Only a few males stood away, not wanting themselves to transform because their intruder was a mere girl. Tohru somewhat struggled, but her knees buckled together and soon she knew that the Zodiacs were keeping her on her two legs. The figure she bumped into earlier was suddenly surrounded by smoke again as Tohru stared at it surprised. She noticed swift movement coming from the figure and as soon as the smoke vanished, she saw a male who only wore the tight leather pants; shirtless since he had just transformed back. He eyed the princess angrily in a cold way while slowly putting the rest of his uniform back on.

"Where did all the mortals go girl?" ordered one of the females, grasping her neck with her cold hands.

Even if Tohru wanted to say something, she couldn't help but keep her mouth shut. This was too much. Her life was at risk and with one wrong move, she could end it all. All she wanted to do was to see if Kaxa had returned like she said, but maybe she was still out there. She could have possibly been captured by the Zodiacs as well! And she was more civilized with knowing what to do and say…

"Answer girl!" another female ordered, reaching slowly for her weapon.

She shut her eyes, wondering what to do. She didn't want to reveal where her people were at! If she did, then hundreds, thousands of lives would be at stake because of her. All because of her selfish desire that she should live and that she was afraid of death. But if she kept her mouth shut, then her people would be saved and only her life would be lost. That was better then thousands dying because of a single answer. If Kaxa were in this kind of position, she would have kept her mouth tightly shut no matter what the consequences were. Tohru wanted to be like Kaxa; filled with courage and no ounce of fear. That was who she wanted to be. And so she did not answer.

She was expecting another order from one of the Zodiacs or maybe a hit and she knew that she wasn't the kind of person who could take these things. But nothing happened. The Zodiac females still held her tightly, but they didn't do anything. Tohru slowly lifted her head, her heart continuing to pound like a thunder storm. She looked through her coffee brown bangs to see what had stopped all the Zodiacs. But what her sapphire orbs found was something she did not tend to see ever again.

"…Lord Yuki," she spoke softly in a raspy whisper.

**Now**

Immediately the room came to a halt, though everything within Tohru started spinning drastically. Even though there were other Zodiacs in the hallways, only Yuki was visible to her large eyes. She couldn't tell if her heart had suddenly stopped or not; she couldn't even tell if she was breathing. Her legs wanted to buckle and she just wanted to collapse onto the soft scarlet carpet and sleep forever. Only about an hour ago was she living in a peaceful castle where she would do her everyday normal routine. But things have changed so quickly under that hour. Why did she want to sleep so badly when she just woke up?

She didn't know if she should be excited to finally see one of her long time friends. She didn't know if she should be bewildered or shocked. Confusing emotions started piling up in her mind. She couldn't see any kind of sentiments through Yuki's eyes, however there was a kind of vibe inside of her that gave her a feeling that for some reason there was trepidation yet pleasure through his fixed features, but the rat leader was very wise to hide the face.

Why did he keep staring at her? Why didn't he speak that soothing flute voice? Why did he remain frozen as a statue just like her? Could the rat leader possibly be surprised as her? But just by doing these things this only made Tohru worry to death. Nothing was coming to her mind. Nothing.

What could she possibly say?

"I…Lord Yuki it's-it's so nice to se-!"

Forcefully a Zodiac pushed her head down as Tohru almost lost her balance, but the female Zodiacs didn't let go of her. "Don't speak to the Lord you mortal!"

Tohru looked up to see Yuki once again, though there was some contentment developing. The fear disappeared; she knew that for sure. But with every step he drew towards her, that aura rose through his veins once again. Each soft step that came towards her being fastened her heart into a never ending drum roll. Innocents were visible to anyone in the room, but the mask that only he knew how to withdraw was only visible to him himself.

Only an arms length away, one of the female Zodiacs shifted. "Lord Yuki, forgive me if I may sound offensive, but have you met this mortal before? Or is it that everyone in this dreadful place knew about your…captivity?"

His eyes remained on the princess before they lingered over to the Zodiac. "Yes, I have met this person before while trapped in this castle." He looked at the other Zodiacs around him—softly muttering to each other or remaining silent—for a moment before adding, "Quite often essentially."

"Would you give us consent to give her the same handling as she'd given you?"

"Well, if you knew what kind of treatment she gave me, then I would be pleased if-."

Some kind of whistling blow came through Tohru's ears. But it wasn't the kind of sound that the bustling wind blew on a cold stormy night that would always echo through her bedroom walls. It made a strange vibrating sound that it blocked out all the voices near her. She looked around to find where the sound came from. It sounded familiar… Why did it always draw back to Kaxa, Ghanjan or Uotani? How did this sound remind her of them?

"…Ex-."

She choked with her sentence as she noticed something flash with Yuki's orbs. Ignoring the woman who still held a tight grasp around Tohru, Yuki shot out his hand and grasped something as quick as the speeding light. Mere mutters went throughout the hallways—more loudly—as Tohru looked at the object Yuki was holding in his hands. The point of a sharp razor blade was only inches from her silky green dress near the abdomen. Yuki withdrew the dagger to himself and examined it for a moment. Only a few tosses with the weapon as then he threw it back into the direction it came from. Tohru suspected that it was probably one of her warriors who came to fetch her. No. She didn't want to think that. She didn't want anyone to come after her. She had to be brave just like Kaxa. She had to be brave just like Kaxa. She had to be brave just like…

She was expecting to hear the dagger pierce a body, but no such sound came through her ears. "I wasn't testing your skills, rat leader."

A sound of a female voice. Finally realizing that Yuki was the only person she was staring at, Tohru took consideration into gazing at the hall or wherever the dagger came from to see who had spoken.

A woman stood alone in the cramped up hallway that used to be filled with bustling warriors since they would always use that pathway. Now only a woman stood. An amazing woman to be more precise. Her delicate face that held a hidden attitude brought out the whole hallway somehow. Tohru had never seen a woman who possessed such pure golden hair. Not a single strand of light brown hair at all through the sun locks. Her skin was as pale as a ghost even though her hair was considered mostly a summer like kind of thing. She wore a uniform just like Lord Yuki was wearing; only she wore matte white and deep purple. She had an in-shape body; Tohru knew that for sure. But hidden beneath her long bangs were sharp concern bronze eyes.

People of the Zodiacs had such strange unique appearances.

"I know you weren't." There wasn't a hint of annoyance with Lord Yuki's voice.

"Then don't bother with the dealings I want to commit." She strode very slowly in a somewhat sexy way, but for some reason Tohru couldn't sense that she was walking like that on purpose. It was probably all natural to her. The woman didn't walk like a feline; Tohru recognized the feline walk from Kyo. "Looks like you caused quite a commotion here. Were you possibly calling back up for this weakling?" She pointed weakly at Tohru with a single finger, her nails longer then cut shortened.

Yuki didn't bother to look around. He knew that many others were around the scene. "You were not ordered to be up here. You're suppose to be with Lord Ayame. _And damn I hate calling him that."_

The golden haired woman's eyes traveled straight towards Tohru who was still held enslaved by the female Zodiacs. Gradually she raised a mere eye brow as inquisitiveness entranced her being. Not bothering to reply to the rat leader, she strode a little closer until she slightly bent down to look directly at the princess. Tohru never noticed that the woman was taller then her. Almost as tall as Uotani.

The woman reached out her hands, almost as if she wanted to cup Tohru's chin. But Yuki interfered by blocking the two of them with a single arm. Only a moments wait, the woman had the guts to stare at Yuki with a glare that was giving off the vibe, saying, "What was that smartass?"

"Do not touch her." He waited until the woman pulled her arm back to her sides. "Do not touch her from now on. And that's a permanent order."

"And I suppose I don't have the right to ask _why _you order such a thing?" This time, full concern interest developed through her expression. "But no matter what you say, I'll probably ask anyway. So, Lord Yuki, why do you order such a thing?"

"Get out of here you snake." The rat female Zodiac tugging Tohru's neck snarled silently at the woman. "Don't talk to our Lord."

"Be quiet," ordered Yuki silently. Tohru felt the chills sent through the woman holding her hostage. Yuki eyed the bronze eye woman suspiciously before questioning, "Have you seen any other mortals around this place?"

"Of course not," she replied, pushing more pressure against her left leg. "I merely came up here because the halls Ayame had us look in were pathetic. Almost every damn room was empty for all I know. Besides, your brother just doesn't know how to shut up."

"Shut up!" bellowed a few rat Zodiacs.

Yuki hastened himself through a huge intake of breath before releasing it silently. "There are no other mortals, correct?"

"Do you want me to say yes?"

Yuki's expression didn't change at all, but as for the rest of the rat Zodiacs, they remained glaring at their 'unwanted' intruder who had a very cocky attitude. After examining her for a moment, his grayish eyes lingered over to Tohru who had remained quiet as a true mouse. She flinched by the eyes staring at her. It was four months since she last saw those eyes. She would always recognize them no matter where she was. The same with Momiji, the same with Kyo… They had a huge impact within her.

Yuki took a small step towards Tohru as the female held her tighter, almost as if someone had commanded her to. It was still hard to believe that Tohru was a hostage… More in fact, she was a prisoner to the Zodiacs! Well, it couldn't really be prisoners since she was still in her home. But the Zodiacs were invading the whole entire place. All the mortals had to flee for survival along with all the others to escape onto the other side where war was only news. She was just a bird caged up from freedom onto the other side she had always heard of.

The rat leader slowly shut his eyes for a moment before turning around, approaching one of the rat Zodiacs who was a man as Yuki started whispering something into his ear. Tohru couldn't hear what he was saying, but only a few nods coming from the Zodiac disturbed her. Seconds later the male Zodiac started to walk towards her. Tohru wanted to flee somewhere; she wasn't comfortable with everyone in this room except Yuki. Though that comfort was somehow dissolving…

Yuki was following besides him as well. He still had that sweet soothing appearance that he could never wipe away from his face. But there was no smile planted onto his pale skin. He looked depressed or almost as if he was inside the whole time. She was certain that he was brighter while staying at this castle. Or it was just probably her imagination…

The male Zodiac stopped an arms length away from Tohru as Lord Yuki stepped closer, only to lean forward as his soft grayish hair stroke her cherry cheeks.

Softly, he whispered, "Don't worry."

Before Tohru could even reply, everything just turned pitch black for her. The thoughts came to a halt. The heart beat felt as though it had escaped her chest. Everything stopped.

**Tunnel**

Still deep within the long extended tunnel, Ghanjan and Uotani quickly pushed themselves through the bustling crowds who were dying to get out of the cramped passageway; wanting freedom and fresh air to breath besides being shoved into others who they haven't even met. Of course, they had the extra clothing around their body, so passing by servants who wore very thin garments was somewhat difficult. There were mostly women and very young children in the middle of the elongated pathway. They weren't exactly running nor were they sauntering like an old slug, but more of a brisk yet sleepy kind of strode. Almost as if they were zombies. Some kind of behavior. At least they could have shown some kind of sympathy that they were actually still alive.

Ghanjan looked around, curious about where Uotani was within the crowd. But she was taller then the average size woman her age as he noticed a glimpse of her ahead of him. Though he didn't bother to fasten his pace; they were both going the same direction to report the same testimony. Nearly shoving into a woman who was being comforted by other women older then she, Ghanjan found it easy to pass everyone else for some strange reason. Though it seemed as though he were going no where. The echoes of clattering shoes against the dry gravel pathway with quiet mutterings pounding off against the stoned walls that were lit up heavenly with torches, it gave him a slight feeling that he was walking through the hallways of the castle.

Though now dozens of Zodiacs were probably strolling their way through those corridors.

"_She said she would keep her words," _thought Ghanjan, having less difficulty with causing others to glare at him since they were also dying to get out of this tunnel. _"I made her keep her words and instead she throws them away as though they were nothing. Now she's stuck with the Zodiacs… She's trapped within their power. All of those dragons…"_

It was easier said than done to keep up with things now. Only this morning, he woke up by himself since Momiji had retreated back to Zodiac Castle. Taking his daily shower and dressing himself in a free wear whatever, breakfast was the main ideal of the time being. It was just a regular day going by like always. Though he did have some kind of feeling that Hanajima was acting somewhat suspicious about something, but he wasn't going to ask her. And from there on, he wanted to practice more combat. More importantly, there was a strange gut feeling that forced him to discover more about this Kuji Sanada person he once use to be.

He, Ghanjan the servant boy, wasn't exactly familiar with the resurrecting business, but one thing he knew for certain was that when a person was being resurrected, they would always turn out to be a different person. Whether it was personality or appearance, one major pin point that made that person different would alter. Memories will disappear as well. Hanajima was the one who told him that he was a resurrected boy who should have been dead, but Ghanjan didn't necessarily take this in an offensive way. It seemed kind of nice that he was a servant and not a warrior. Wouldn't warriors have a harder time dealing with life and such?

But more and more those thoughts altered drastically. Each and every day, each battle that was about to take place, why was it that he wanted to rush out the building and consider himself a high class warrior and fight his ass off until he could no longer stand on his two legs? Why did the sound of swords clattering bring some kind of joy through his senses? How did the whistling of arrows soothe his thoughts? When the warriors looked at him with their courageous eyes, why did he imagine himself wearing their garments?

Of course, Ghanjan figured that it was some kind of sentiment of fighting for his people. He figured that it would pass by eventually and that he would use his life for what it was made to do, and that was to serve others besides saving others. He had to be glad for sticking with the serving techniques for because of it he had made friends with the princess, Arisa Uotani, and surprisingly Saki Hanajima. Though he wasn't comfortable with having Uotani and Hanajima around, he was glad that others would talk to him. Many people wouldn't talk to him though he never knew why. That was until Hanajima spoke to him personally. Kuji Sanada, the battle between mortals against cats and dogs, little Shiora Sanada, a sphere through a little girl's head, a strange chilly chamber… He wasn't supposed to remember these things.

So why was it that he was starting to remember all of these things? Was Kaxa actually right? Was he really coming back to his senses of being Kuji Sanada?

Long in thought was when he started to find himself in front of the whole crowd that continued to travel behind him. He spotted Uotani rushing by Kaxa's side, but before she could say anything her eyes met Ghanjan's and she gestured him quickly to come over. Taking a gulp of some strange lump in his throat, he prepared himself for the unexpected while strolling over to the both of them.

"Uotani told you that the Zodiacs have broken in, right?" Ghanjan nodded as Kaxa bit her lip. "I don't know what they're up to. It makes me question why they waited to do something like this now besides in the past." She watched the chosen two from the crowd who were ordered to light the torches so that everyone could see where they were going. "They were probably taking the imprisonment of the cat leader and the rat leader as some kind of scheme for themselves. That's the only thing I can come up with."

"Yeah…" Uotani ruffled her hair before licking her lips. Might as well spill it out now before things become too out of hand. "Kaxa… There's…something wrong."

Kaxa's eyes froze from wandering around the tunnel. "A problem? …Will this affect everyone in the tunnel?"

"That's kind of a difficult question to answer," said Uotani, looking at Ghanjan as though she needed help. But Kaxa's cold glare brought Uotani's attention back at King Yishanu's assistant. "…Tohru-kun."

"She's not hurt is she?" Kaxa halted and briskly turned around, looking at Uotani. The crowd behind came into a stop as a few shouts echoed around the place, questioning why everyone had stopped. But Kaxa didn't give a damn about that.

"…That's…also a kind of difficult question to answer," spoke up Ghanjan. "She's…"

Remembering that other innocent people were listening to the conversation—and remembering that somewhere in this crowd, King Yishanu was somewhere and now probably making his way through the crowd—Ghanjan leaned forward and started whispering into the woman's ear; Uotani biting her lip so hard, it looked as though she were going to make herself bleed. This whole tunnel was going to be thunderous once Kaxa heard the news.

But instead, all Kaxa could do was stare confused at the boy who stood before her.

* * *

_People moving briskly through a tunnel with torches lighting up the place. Soft whispering brushing over everyone's shoulder; echoing. The faces belonging to the rushing figures were blurry, all of them. Except for one, but no name came to thought. _

_A delicate boy who was a mortal. Leaning forward towards a woman, he spoke carefully._

"_Captured. She's captured by the Zodiacs."_

Princess Tohru Honda gradually shifted her body into a comfortable position, feeling the satin sheets under her and the soft mellow pillow her head rested on. With both her hands by her chest, she opened her eyes easily. Everything was blurry for a slight second, but that was because no sun light was entering the room. The curtains were closed.

Room…

She rose into a sitting position as fast as she could; looking around speedily like a cautious animal, thinking some kind of predator was out to get her. There was a strange yet sore gut pain near her belly; all she could do was slightly clench it. She still wore her bright green dress though she knew her use to be straight brown hair was now tangling in all directions. Even if the room was dark, she recognized the room. She remembered waking up everyday to see the same champagne walls. Waking up to see the door leading to the closet and the small vanity along with the drawers.

She was in her room.

Tohru had no idea why, but instantaneously there was pure delight dancing through her. _"It was all a dream… It was actually all a dream." _A huge smile took over. "I must have eaten something to make me think that was all true." Without hesitating, she started giggling to herself while she looked down at her tangle hair.

Accepting the humor she brought herself, she stood up and walked over to her vanity, picking up a brown brush and smoothly brushing it through her hair. There were no struggles dealing with the knots through her strands of hair. In no time her hair was back to normal; the usual straight coffee brown hair. But it was strange that her room was so dark when she knew it was somewhere around the afternoon.

"One of the helpers around here probably closed them." Placing the brush down, she scurried over to the window and grabbed one half of the curtains, bringing it over to the side and grabbing the tie piece attached to the wall, tying it in place. She did the same to the other side and then gazed outside, feeling the warmth of the sun beating down on her body.

"Oh, now I'm so hungry," spoke Tohru to herself.

She turned around to go to her bedroom door, thinking of what would be waiting downstairs. But she couldn't make her feet move. It almost felt as though they were literally pinned down to the floor, but not only that her body didn't have the slightest urge to shift. Now that she thought about it, there was no warmth dazzling over her skin. She started feeling a slight shiver circulation around the upper part of her body.

Who was sitting in front of her bedroom door?

"D'you still need to sleep?"

It was a male sitting on a wooden chair in front of her door; one of the mere chairs that she never actually used. He seemed like a laid-back kind of guy with the way he was sitting; slightly leaning back with one long leg somewhat resting on his other leg. He had his fingers laced together behind his head. He wore the tight black one suit that covered every part of his body; coming from tight turtle neck to the edge of his ankle just like what Yuki and Kyo wore. He wore a white garment over it, very short sleeved and coming down into a dress like kind of thing, but it came cut loose near the hips so that only it covered the front area and the back area, leaving both sides of the waist and below open to reveal the tight black pants.

"I'm not gonna stop you from sleeping," he spoke, half closed gray eyes lingering around the room as though she didn't even existed.

Well, sleeping wasn't really the farthest thought from her mind at the moment. The male looked around her age… At least that's what she thought. Was he really her age, or did the white hair just throw all odds out? He had a strange hair style, she knew that for sure. Short white hair with strands flying everywhere, but where in the world did the black roots come from? Was it even possible to have white hair yet black roots? It couldn't be natural at all.

"Um…no-no I'm fine." She couldn't quite bring herself to figure out that she was meeting a complete stranger. "…Excuse me but wha-what's your name?" She made a small smile, not wanting to make herself seem rude.

Ruffling with his hair, he made eye contact with her; however she didn't feel scared at all. "You don't have to stand there you know."

It was almost as if it were an order because immediately she rushed over to the bed and plopped down onto the mattress. A strange complex expression formed through the stranger's eyes, but Tohru had to be obliged that it wasn't anything that might make her uncomfortable.

"So you know Lord Yuki?" he questioned, leaning forward to let his forearms rest on his knees since he placed both feet onto the ground.

"Yes!"

"I see," he muttered to himself, face still hidden with a calm mask.

"_Who is he?" _thought Tohru, wanting to ignore the male's face, but no matter what she just couldn't. _"He knows Lord Yuki, but I think everyone knows about him. I never saw him around this place before… Wait, I don't think I saw a boy like him with white hair…"_

That only left one choice. But…it couldn't be possible. "Are…I-I don't want to be rude oh no but are…are you a…Zodiac?"

"Mm…I suppose." He shrugged while looking out through the window Tohru revealed. Though his face was looking at the window, his eyes examined Tohru while she remained muted on the bed, not moving the slightest bit. _"Guess she's not use to seeing Zodiacs still." _It somehow surprised him, remembering that Tohru was looking out the window. Didn't she see the dragons circling around the turret?

**Before**

Opening a mere door, Hatsuharu made a quick glance around the room before closing it and leaving to another door. Even if someone already checked in it, it was something to do. Other Zodiacs who possessed the same spirit as him—the ox—scanned the place as well, though they were more serious then Haru; however the lack of boredom was easily seen. So many hallways throughout this damn castle were the only thoughts scrolling through everyone's mind. No mortals running around the place; only Zodiacs.

"Lord Hatsuharu!" Hatsuharu raised a curious brow as he turned towards a Zodiac rushing up to him. The Zodiac possessed the spirit of a rat. "Lord Hatsuharu, Lord Yuki has asked for your aid!"

Without waiting for an answer, the rat Zodiac turned on his heels and started going back in the direction he came from, the ox leader following behind. Why would the rat leader ask him for assistance? Did he happen to find something important dealing with where everyone went? At the moment, even if he did feel a bit significant since he knew he had to do some kind of task, he was deep within lazy mode for some apparent reason. Thank goodness Hatsuharu was only a floor down from Yuki.

When arriving at the halls the rats were ordered to search, he spotted a small gathering of people. Hatsuharu noticed Yuki talking to a Zodiac who wasn't a rat, but before he could even come up with saying anything, the figure—which was a woman who had pure blond hair and devil like bronze eyes—briskly walked away. It almost seemed as though she was slithering away. But ignoring that, he walked up to the crowd until Yuki glanced over his shoulder, causing the ox leader to stop.

"Lord Haru, you're not busy with anything are you?" questioned Yuki curiously, showing more of a sympathy attitude then to others. Not that many people referred Hatsuharu as "Haru" except for close friends.

"If it's anything that requires my assistance for you, no." Haru made a fake smile until he noticed a girl collapsed against a woman Zodiac. "…What do you need?"

"I want you to guard her," ordered Yuki, pointing at the brown haired girl who somehow seemed peaceful. "Don't let her leave your sight unless I make further guidelines."

"Don't I have a choice to say if I agree to do this?"

"…You said you weren't busy."

"Exactly." Hatsuharu started to stretch his left triceps in a languid way.

Releasing an exhausted sigh, Yuki ordered the woman who kept the brown haired girl on her two feet to carry her while following the rat leader. Of course, after giving out orders to the other rat Zodiacs to go back to their required jobs, Yuki started heading off into a direction in a brisk pace, almost as if he knew where he was going. The Zodiac woman might not have understood how he knew where he was going, but Hatsuharu had a pretty good answer. But he couldn't figure out an answer with why the rat leader wanted him to keep an eye out for this girl? Of course, Hatsuharu already knew that she was a mortal; not a Zodiac like him or anyone else.

"…Oh, I get it," muttered Hatsuharu, catching the woman's attention, but Yuki merely ignored it as he started climbing up a very long swirl of stairs, the two Zodiacs and the unconscious girl following behind.

What seemed like a complete day with climbing terrible stairs, Yuki finally took the last step from the stairs and approached a door. Luckily it wasn't locked. A lot of rooms were locked around this place so it had to take some ideal of strength to charge into the place. The boars must have had an effortless time dealing with that kind of situation.

When the rat leader opened it, he motioned the both of them to go in. They simply followed the directions without hesitation.

After Yuki walked inside, he spoke with a firm tone. "Place her on the bed. Lord Haru, simply keep an eye on her until I come back."

The woman, surprisingly, laid the girl gently onto the bed before leaving the room, the rat leader following behind. Hatsuharu didn't bother to say anything. He had all the time in the world to ask him any questions. Besides, here was a way to doze off for a bit. He could barely sleep last night.

"Haru," whispered Yuki, only halfway away from the door. He didn't look at him, but that was probably because he wanted to see if the woman had left. "She's…that girl I told you about. The princess of the castle."

"Mm, I came to realize that." Hatsuharu grinned before adding, "What are you going to do with her though? Try to hide her as long as possible?"

There was a long moments paused before Yuki said, "…I think I have some kind of idea. I don't know… Just keep her comfortable." Another moment's pause. "Not in that kind of way."

"Don't go on referring me as sensei." Hatsuharu chuckled silently. "I understand. But… It's not like me to ask, but why do you keep her protected when you know she could easily cause a commotion?"

"She saved my life," spoke Yuki while giving Hatsuharu a small nod, exemplifying that he was leaving. "It might sound obvious, but I have no choice but to pay her back by saving hers. Though in this kind of situation, it's quite difficult." Yuki closed the bedroom door as Hatsuharu heard his footsteps walking away.

"Pretty hard to protect someone, isn't it?" muttered Hatsuharu, now taking his gray eyes towards the princess of Mortal Castle. With a slight chuckle, he grinned. "You must have done something more then just saving his life, princess."

* * *

Chapter 6. FINALLY! Man I kept stopping, then after about like 5 minutes I went back to it, stopped for another 5 minutes then went back after another. It was so impossible… But at least I managed to finish! I think I kind of let myself free throughout the ending, but still… I always say that. Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Now I think I'm going to work on the revising for **"The Cat and the Onigiri Story Part I"** (check profile for details!) Woah I sound like those commercial ads thing XD. Sayonara until next time! (And yes I'm sorry for taking such a long time to update, but if you didn't check my profile, I don't have school for a whole month! But I don't know if I'll be updating as fast like I normally say…)

DarkKyo


	7. Plateful Verve

Shichi sho ni kangei! But we aren't in Japan, right? Anyway, that meant 'welcome to chapter seven!' Well let me see… I start school on Monday (it's Saturday right now) and I'm pissed about that because I am SO not ready to back. I need to do more shopping… I'm now officially 14! WOO HOO! Oh and my parents found a house in Georgia so yeah I'm going to move there for good. Well I think that's all I have to say… It's better if I start the chapter besides babbling my mouth about something people don't even read XD.

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**Chapter 7 "Plateful Verve"**

As soon as Yuki swept the door closed to the Princess's room, he immediately headed down the spiraling stairs at a fast pace; firm arms swinging back and forth as every couple of steps, the windows attached to the wall would shine the sun's raze against his pale face, causing Yuki to squint his eyes. All the torches that were built into the stone wall on the other side of him were all lit out, but by how he felt a strange cold sensation tingling around his body, Yuki wished that at least some kind of flame would emerged. But looking back into the past, the torches were only lit when nighttime struck.

The stairs passed by the violet eyes as he thought about all the hallways around the castle. Different turns throughout the corridors started to make his head spin. Even if the walkways were somewhat identical to his home, he couldn't help but think he had a headache. Maybe it was because so many things were crowding in the rat leader's mind. Finally stepping into Mortal Castle without being convicted by others or knowing that he was being watched twenty-four seven, Princess Tohru still in her room watched by the ox leader, not to mention that she was probably in the fact the _only _mortal in the castle, and more importantly if Yuki's 'plan'—he had no idea what his plan was in the first place—didn't succeed, he didn't want to think what the future would hold.

But that led back to the other problem. If Princess Tohru was the only mortal here, where were the rest? How did thousands and thousands of mortals escaped in a knick of time?

"_There had to be some kind of escape route."_

Different shades of eyes greeted Yuki, and being the noble gentleman he was, he made a quick small smile to everyone. But if everyone was going to greet him, it was just better to keep on a smiling face. However that didn't seem to suit his appearance at all. Each floor was being watched by one certain Zodiac group. It did appear somewhat awkward and unusual that there were twelve floors in the castle. Yuki never really noticed this until Lord Akito made out all the instructions. It did seem quite understandable that Lord Akito would make Yuki search the top flooring.

Hidden deep in the back of the rat leader's mind, he really wanted to send Zeknui to Hell. But that thought was surely safe inside his mind.

But what really damned him was that the cat leader had to be on the first floor. Probably because that was where he was locked up. But if Yuki were Lord Akito—he would never think of that thought again—he would have made Kyo search Yuki's floor as he himself searched Kyo's floor. It was very reasonable. Yuki didn't want to make himself seem all precious and significant, but he was pretty convinced that Lord Akito was keeping a sharp eye out on him and doubtlessly the cat leader as well. The weird occurrence with both the strong Zodiac leaders being held captive at Mortal Castle for almost four months straight had to be some kind of calamity.

But was the tragedy set for the Zodiacs, or was it mostly for the mortal's themselves? Look what happened because of Kyo's capture? If his imprisonment didn't even happen in the first place, Yuki wouldn't even be here; the same for the warrior Zodiacs. The disappearance of all the mortals wouldn't have happened nor would the Princess Tohru Honda be the only mortal here, making her a 'prisoner.' So many things wouldn't have happened if that cat didn't get himself locked up. Jekou's strange encouragement to finally speak his mind out, Yuki himself discovering more about mortals then what rumor explains, bringing Momiji—everyone at Zodiac Castle thought for sure that he was gone for good—back home.

Kyo's awkward contentment that was somehow appearing all the time.

"_How did so much happen in such a short time?" _Yuki's feet took control over his body.

Yuki was one of the few who thought of this strange war as something to waste time with. The only reason why this foolish conflict started was because the mortals were too stupid to take consideration in a simple difference by others who could transform into animals. Also adding that in the past, the only way for those 'unlucky ones' to transform was if they were hugged by the opposite sex or if the were weak. Nowadays, transformation was completely by their will. So what if they could transform into animals part of the Zodiacs? Is something like that so hard to cooperate that a war had to come in place just to handle a simple dilemma? It's not as though just because they can transform into animals, they are immediately a deadly threat and they will strike at anyone.

So really the mortals were the bad guys. It wasn't even the Zodiacs' intentions to attack anyone. Who ever made up that silly myth that once the Zodiac 'curse' was discovered, the Zodiacs started to cause damage and actually killed others, was a complete fool. Damn Hell for taking that one person away. Yuki wouldn't mind strangling that one person in the palm of his hands; that one person probably didn't even care that because of his silly beliefs this ridiculous warfare was now in play. The Zodiacs were as innocent as a simple infant.

"Lord Yuki is there a problem?"

His mind was going through some kind of video recorder until he heard his name being called. Adjusting his eyes, a gorgeous hazel eye woman stared at him questionably, blinking her dark black lashes as her high bright camel/white hair was set up into a bun, revealing the soft curves of her carved face. She wore the similar uniform as to what Yuki was wearing, only the lady was wearing dark blue. Cat. And because she was a cat, her collar was flared out, revealing a simple faint line near her chest. Supposedly she didn't care about how much she revealed, even if she was too much of an 'average woman.'

Yuki didn't have a problem with her though. She was one of the cats who didn't mind the rats. Unlike some other cat Zodiacs who wouldn't stop slipping a glare or two at him.

Remembering her question, he composed his face into his usual 'I'm fine' expression. "I'm looking for Lord Kyo."

"I haven't been keeping my eye out on him," she replied. Her voice had that cat purr that Yuki just really couldn't put into words. "But I'll go look. Wait right here."

Her quick strides left the rat leader looking around, trying hard not to lay eyes upon anyone around him. His pale complexion and hair color was easily noticeable for someone to understand that he was a rat. He was a simple rat surrounded by cats. One against… He wasn't going to start counting everyone in this damn hallway. But that was only the inner spirit that was silently guarding itself. The rat always held some kind of fear when up against the cat, but it still had the mighty courage to sneak pass it and let itself fight. Yuki, and only Yuki, didn't give a care in the world about the others around him. There had to be some kind of pleasure with being around others who really didn't want to _kill _him. Harm…probably. But surely not kill.

Only the second spirit lying locked inside him made him different; nothing more. The hair, eyes, skin, mood swings; it was the rat's fault.

Now that was the first time he blamed the rat. That was usually the cat leader's job.

Going deeper into thoughts about Zodiacs wasn't necessarily Yuki's kind of thing, but today was completely different. The rat leader had been thinking more and more about the Zodiacs and understanding every little detail about it. He may be one, but he was surely not a true expert at knowing everything. Sure, he had another spirit inside of him; the rat. Everyone else was the same except for the cats. The cat Zodiacs possessed the spirit of the cat, and yet the cat possessed _another _spirit. That grotesque creature that God would never create. It had to be the devil's work or something; no doubt. Was it difficult for the cat Zodiacs to cooperate with controlling two souls? Or was it the same as the other twelve Zodiac spirits? Did they only have to control the cat's spirit as the cat had to control it's…_other _spirit?

Yuki was _not _going to ask that to _anyone_.

"You serious?"

Yuki's head was a recording tape once again. His eyes fell upon the cat leader's who was accompanied by the woman Yuki spoke to earlier. Yuki had to narrow his eyes at the person he wanted to meet. Kyo looked plain disgusted, but he didn't turn around and withdraw. The cat leader tucked his finger into his tight black turtle neck collar and stretched it a bit, cracking his neck. His lazy boredom expression was noticeable with his hands now jammed into his pockets, swaying back just a tad. And even if Yuki would never admit it to a living soul, he knew that Kyo was graceful. Well, graceful when he wasn't in some kind of combat with him, the rat leader. But overall…

"_This place is controlling me," _thought Yuki, releasing a heavy sigh.

"What the hell do you want?" Kyo stood exactly seven feet away from the rat leader, slouching as though something heavy was on his back. The female remained by Kyo's side, hands twined behind her back.

"_Well, at least his greeting was more enthusiastic then I imagined." _Ignoring all the cats that stopped their searching, the violet eyes approached Kyo as the cat leader raised a brow, keeping a small snarl on his face. "We need to talk. Privately."

"'Bout what?" Kyo asked charily. "Whatever you have to say you can say it in front of everyone here."

"No, I cannot."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere with _you_," rebounded the crimson eye, leaning backwards. "I'm the cat leader and I make my own decisions."

"And this time I'm making the decisions." Yuki swiftly snatched Kyo's wrist and hauled him towards him, glaring intensely into the bloody orbs. "I'm the rat leader."

Different pitches of hissings filled the hallways as Yuki realized that all the cat Zodiacs were eyeing him heatedly, hands only inches away from their weapons. Even the hazel eye woman whom Yuki didn't mind was seconds away from unsheathing her stiletto.

Kyo tried to back himself away from Yuki. "What the hell—! Don't go ordering me around!"

But Yuki didn't take any moment to let himself be turned away as he hurled Kyo towards him once again. "Stop acting like a fool you stupid cat. I found Princess Honda-san," he whispered.

The hissings and shouts grew louder as Yuki's eyes caught the woman unsheathing her stiletto, grasping it tightly. Kyo didn't fight back the urge to get away from the rat leader. He only backed away leisurely until he could see Yuki's face. For the first time, Yuki could tell that the cat leader was finally in the stagger mode.

Still keeping his eyes on Yuki, Kyo ordered his clan strictly. "Go back to whatever you were doing!"

The room was still frozen.

Kyo turned on his heels and eyed everyone rigorously. "Go back to what you were doing or else none of you will get codfish tonight!"

Instantly the hallways were moving, whispers being heard from certain areas. The hazel eye woman sheathed her sword and gave a quick steady bow before rushing away from the two leaders in an elegant like manner. Doors were being opened and closed as the scurrying sliding feet against the carpet filled the room. The cat leader turned back around to face his arch nemesis, but Yuki knew that this time the enemy logo was out of the question. Not that it brought any happiness into the rat leader or anything. He just knew that it would be easier to speak with Lord Kyo then being shouted back for no reason except that he possessed the spirit of the rat.

"Where is she?" questioned Kyo, eyes a bit widened, but overall he appeared to be perfectly unemotional.

"She's—." He paused to make sure no one was listening. "She's in her room with Lord Haru."

"_Him_?" Kyo harshly bumped his shoulder against Yuki's as he started to storm towards the stairs, leading to the next floor. "Why the hell did you leave him with _her_? You must be crazy!"

"Kyo!" Yuki managed to grab the crimson eye's shoulder and twirled him around. Some heads turned, curious that the word 'Lord' wasn't added to Kyo's name. "She's fine. I reasoned it out with Lord Haru. He won't do anything. Besides, if you suddenly bolt towards her room someone might get curious."

Kyo glared at Yuki, but immediately he pulled his shoulder back into his own tenure. "Overall she's most likely in danger." He was being both sarcastic yet solemn.

Now that was something Yuki had to think about. Actually that was utterly out of the question. "She's with Lord Haru in her bedroom, so mostly she's protected." He noticed the quick flickering in Kyo's eyes when he said 'mostly.' "No one knows about her whereabouts except for Lord Haru and me. And until now, you know as well." Yuki was surely not going to tell him that some of the rat Zodiacs knew about Tohru.

Kyo firmly placed his hands against his hips. "So you're telling me that she's here, but you won't let me go see if she's okay?"

"_He's not even bothering to hide the fact that he's so worried," _thought Yuki, squinting his eyes by the sudden raze coming from the windows. "When I found her, I didn't know what to do. So I got Lord Haru to watch her. You know… We have to tell Lord Akito."

The long momentary pause. "…You're kidding?" Kyo's face was cynical, but his voice was lethal, ready to erupt any minute. He leaned towards Yuki. "If you tell him he'll order someone to kill her."

"_And he doesn't even care that he's showing that he wants to protect her. _Let me finish you stupid cat." Again he looked around the place. "We can't keep Princess Honda-san in her room forever. Someone is bound to discover her whereabouts and they will surely kill her. Keeping it a secret will only raise her chances of being caught."

"And carelessly telling him that a mortal is in this castle will surely get her killed faster!" snapped Kyo silently. Yuki had to give him props; the cat leader was controlling his behavior quite well. "Not mentioning that she's the damn princess of our enemies! At least if we keep it a secret we'll have more time to think about what to do."

Yuki was surprised that Kyo was actually taking this quite nicely. The rat leader was certain that Kyo would have started bellowing his head out. "Three against a couple of thousands; more time isn't even enough. But…" He eyed the cat leader. "Just follow me all right? I have an idea. You'll _probably _get into the act."

"Don't assume me you damn rat!" But that didn't stop Yuki from walking away. Kyo bolted straight towards him, but he still kept his distance at a certain length. "And don't ignore me!"

"_It's amazing how his temper can easily rise." _Yuki sighed with that thought. _"It's also amazing that he's acting this way. I suspected something else from him."_

Now Yuki was not happy about being on the first floor because now he was close to the entrance of Mortal Castle. The dragons were probably still circling around the castle, making the last adjustment that the barrier produced by Kaxa Mori was completely destroyed; that no speck of 'magic' was left in the atmosphere. But more importantly, Lord Akito was outside of the doors. Even under his poor state, he forced himself to come out. But tossing that aside that meant that Lord Akito was only minutes away from Yuki. Yuki still needed some time to think about what he was going to say. He partially had everything ordered out, but things were still a blur. Yuki would think it over inside his head, and yet every time he did something would change in his idea.

And with Kyo behind him making unimportant comments, it was entirely difficult to concentrate.

A cluster of Zodiacs were by the front entrance. And once seeing this, Yuki immediately came into a sudden halt, completely throwing Kyo off balance as he bumped into Yuki. No one noticed the two leaders, but Yuki was grateful for that. If someone were to look at them, questions would surely be held and someone would have probably gone and fetched Lord Akito, figuring that one of the leaders discovered something. Lord Akito was only outside of those large oak doors; they were only halfway open. And thinking of that thought just made Yuki feel a little bit bumpy. It was up to him to protect Princess Tohru Honda. She saved his life. Now he had to return it, even if he was an enemy to her.

"You could have warned me when you were going to stop!" Kyo folded his arms. He stared disgusted at his own chest. "Now I have your germs all over me."

"And I have your stupidity all over me. Disgusting." Before Kyo could have any time to shout one of his customary quotes, Yuki managed to continue. "Listen, we're going to speak with Lord Akito. I—."

"You think telling him will do any good?" interrupted Kyo with an I-can't-believe-you expression.

"Would you just let me finish?" snapped Yuki, his eyes as cold as ice. He didn't bother to recompose his face. "I want you to act casually. Don't make the lightest flinch if Lord Akito makes a remark about Princess Honda-san or anything related to her matter. One slip from you and you'll ruin the whole thing, got it?"

Yuki figured that Kyo was going to say something like, "Of course I know!" or "I'm not stupid to do something like that!" But an understanding nod from the cat leader was good enough.

Yuki took the lead, but over his shoulder he spoke softly, "Don't say anything either."

Making it through the crowd was somewhat an accomplishment, but others just didn't know how to mind their own business. With every step the two leaders were trampled with questions about if they discovered any possibility about the disappearance of the mortals or other such things. In the beginning Yuki did reply, saying that nothing was in need of reporting. But after receiving the same damn question over and over again, Yuki didn't have any trouble shunning everyone off his shoulders. The cat leader seemed to take Yuki's comment literally, for the whole entire time he didn't even launch a rude remark. People crowding Kyo, Yuki thought, was a pain in the ass to him.

Once they were outside, scattered Zodiacs were around; all the Juunishi were dispersed around the green field. Broken weapons were lying on the floor, but none of the Zodiacs bothered to pick them up. It did seem kind of awkward, but standing out in the sun somehow soothed Yuki. It didn't seem like there was some kind of war happening. More importantly it didn't seem like they have taken over Mortal Castle. But the castle was in fact under Zodiac's control. There was no doubt about it. Even with a single move they were able to run out the mortals out of their own home. Now that was something to cheer about.

Yuki was not in the mood for cheering.

Yuki noticed that there were no dragons circling the castle. _"The barrier is down."_

There he was. Lord Akito. Yuki peered out of the corner of his eyes, trying to see if he could catch Kyo's expression. The cat leader appeared fine, but still a bit fretful by the twitching near the corner of his eye. Lord Akito was accompanied by two men; a spiky black hair and a dark shaved crimson head. The black hair man seemed to be in well shape as he stood in a well mannered position; however the other one was slightly leaning forward, resting his hands against his knees for support. They're clothes were the uniform of the dragons, but they didn't appear clean and well taken care of. It seemed as though they hadn't washed it for weeks or possibly they threw it around all the time.

"_Nukardo-kun and Hoto-kun," _thought Yuki. It was all right to address dragon Zodiacs who were eligible of transforming into a dragon by their name besides their given number and such, but Yuki was one of the few who spoke the Ice Dragon's name. Yuki didn't exactly know them to consider them as 'good acquaintances' but one thing he knew for sure; Kyo hated them.

It seemed that the rat leader knew a lot about the cat leader.

Yuki thought that he just awoken for the first time as he noticed the two pair of ice eyes staring into his irises. Ice Dragon was truly a fact for Nukardo. But his unemotional face with a thin line across his face didn't bring any satisfaction into Yuki as then his Lord looked at the rat leader. Hoto peered over his shoulder and immediately glared at Kyo. Lord Akito slowly made a wicked grin, though it wasn't necessarily evil surprisingly. His grin appeared as though some kind of satisfactory had landed upon his very nose. Whatever it was, Yuki didn't need to think about it.

"Yuki," called Akito soothingly, ignoring both the dragon Zodiacs besides him. "Already finished searching your hall, hm?"

Yuki licked his lips but kept his composure in good hands. "Not necessarily. Lord Akito, _we _both have something to report—."

"Privately," shot Kyo quickly, and as his orbs transferred back and forth between the dragons, it was obvious that the cat leader was referring to them.

Hoto's eye twitched. "Surely nothing could be private for all of us, _Lord _Kyo. Who would ever abanded our kind to join those mortals?"

Hoto made a light chuckle and gave his last glare at Kyo before he adverted his vision at Lord Akito; however his lord was giving him his usual cold frown. It's such a shame that just by giving 'the look,' one could immediately drown to death. No one was able to overlook Akito's glower and yet no one every tried to disregard it, for if someone did… Well, that wasn't really essential.

Lord Akito cocked a head. "Are you making orders for me?"

"…No," choked Hoto inaudibly, biting his lip. Nukardo merely stood by his side, not showing any signs of enjoyment. Yuki was the same, but the hot headed Kyo would never miss a chance to laugh at his other nemesis.

The rat leader stared stupidly at the orange head. _"It's like he forgot all about why we're here."_

"Yes Lord Akito."

There he goes again; Yuki just kept switching back to the real world and his own little imagination where all secrets could be hidden, even by the Lord Akito himself. He watched as Nukardo and Hoto both bowed to Akito, and at their own pace they walked away towards other crowds that Yuki didn't exactly know what they were appointed to do. Hoto still seemed to be a bit caught up with Akito's deadly bickering, but Nukardo was keeping his poise as normal as possible. Yuki didn't want to admit it, but both he and Nukardo shared a gift. The gift that they could control what emotions they held. Now Hoto and Kyo on the other hand… Both hot heads.

And yet they hated each other.

Actually Kyo was the one who hated others. He hated everyone.

"_Stupid cat."_

"Disappointing that even my favorite Zodiacs would act like a smartass to me from time to time," spoke Akito, a tint of dissatisfaction in his vocal. But surely he didn't look disappointed. "Suppose people have to change."

"Lord Akito…"

Akito slipped a grin. "Ah, you said you wanted to speak in private?" His eyes darkened as he cast a look at the cat leader. "Or was the cat fooling with me?"

Kyo clenched his fist, but Yuki didn't wait any longer as he stepped in front of the cat leader. "We found a mortal."

No emotions swept away the Lord of Zodiacs as he still kept his eyes on Kyo. But moments later, as Akito glanced at Yuki, his eyes widened with amusement. Yuki never really appreciated the emotions Akito gave out. They were always so depraved and uncomfortable to see; they were scratchy to picture as well. Lord Akito could alter from angry and thunderous to becoming curious and content. No, Yuki could never recall seeing Akito as 'happy' or 'cheerful.' But he made his face appeared that way to get his way. He always had some kind of trick to get things his way.

And Yuki didn't want to think of it, but it was true. Akito _always _got his way. He always got what he wanted. That was why Yuki had to be careful.

"A mortal?" Akito questioned peculiarly, rubbing his chin as though he were trying to solve an impossible math equation. "There's a mortal in my castle? My, I'm terrified of such a thing." He leaned towards Yuki. "You didn't happen to find any others?"

Kyo was the one who budged in. "No."

Yuki wanted to punch the cat leader straight in the face. Maybe get a black eye out of him possibly. _"Stupid cat I told him not to say anything!"_

Akito still held his interest mode in place. "I see… You and Yuki both saw this mortal? Is the mortal still running free Kyo? And why were you two both in the same hall, hm? Did you not hear my orders clearly, cat leader?

Lord Akito would never accuse Yuki over Kyo, so Yuki wasn't really surprised. But it wasn't his intentions to let Kyo explain anything; doing that would surely destroy everything. Yuki _had _to help _someone _at least. Others were always helping him, at least if he could recall giving him food and a roof. He never really knew when he helped someone before. He would always assure a person or at least give them comfort that he would somehow aid their issues or assist them in some kind of way, but no matter what he could never really remember doing anything for anyone. Yuki didn't like that feeling. Everyone in the world had to facilitate someone in someway. He was the only one who had never helped a living soul in his life. It made him feel…_useless. _

But Kyo was smart enough to stay quiet, or it was that he didn't want to answer at all. Whatever the reason, it gave Yuki the perfect chance to answer. "The mortal is in Lord Haru's care. No one knows about the mortal except for a few rat Zodiacs, Lord Haru, Lord Kyo and I."

Kyo cast a livid yet shaken glare at Yuki.

"_Don't slip up now Kyo," _thought Yuki, slowly gritting his fist. He somewhat forgotten the fact that Kyo didn't know that some other Zodiacs knew of Tohru's existence in the castle.

"Why does he know?" queried Akito questionably, staring at the cat leader once again. "Was it necessary to report this discovery to the likes of him?"

Yuki was expecting a backfire from Kyo, but he remained under control. Surprising. Yuki cleared his throat. "The mortal… She's—."

"A girl?" Akito's eyes widened even more. "Very interesting. We have a female mortal under our noses." He closed his eyes for a moment, but once opening them he appeared as though he needed a twenty-four hour sleep. "Well, one mortal is just a mortal." He sighed, rolling his neck around as a sudden 'pop' echoed in Yuki's ears. "Not that it would make a difference, right?" He gestured his hand as though he were swatting a fly away. "Kill the girl."

Yuki didn't have to look at Kyo to know that his eyes were now on fire. It was now or never. "Lord Akito, the girl is the princess of Mortal Castle." He paused once seeing the Lord's reaction. "I remember seeing her with Yishanu and he would always refer to her as his daughter or princess. The same with some of her friends that sometimes walked pass my penitentiary." Now that was stupid to say. Lord Akito surely knew that Yuki wasn't treated as a 'hostage.'

Lord Akito continued to eye the rat leader. In return, Yuki waited for the Lord to answer. It was so hard keeping a straight face in front of the Lord. There were things in the past that Yuki didn't want to think about; things involving the Lord and he himself. That was too much to comprehend with a situation such as this. Too many things were being thrown at Yuki all too soon. He was just one man after all; what more could he possibly get himself in? But what about the cat leader? He was probably having it tougher then anyone else. But that was just an assumption.

"The Princess of Mortal Castle…" mumbled Akito to himself. The twinkle in Akito's eyes started to stab Yuki's back, but he continued to keep his shoulder squared. Kyo looked as though he were going to pounce on the Lord. It was just amazing how Kyo controlled his temper. He wasn't the type who would usually compose himself as the mature man.

"Kill her."

"BUT SHE'S THE—!"

"Lord Akito she's the Princess of Mortal Castle," interrupted Yuki, raising his voice so that he could overtake Kyo's tone. Yuki seemed to be expecting too many things from Kyo, but now Kyo didn't fight back to say what was on his mind. He was seriously dedicated with saving Tohru Honda's life.

"Exactly," said Akito. "By killing her, the King will be outraged and he would immediately come back here. It's the easiest way to lure him and his army here."

Now that was a tough fact to fight against. _"How does he think of these things?"_

"My, why are the two of you so down all of the sudden?" asked Akito, doing his usual 'cock the head' move again. He then made a wicked grin. "Do you not want me to kill the Princess of Mortal Castle?"

Again, it was now or never. "She saved my life, and for that I have to repay her somehow."

Yuki was looking at the ground, not able to collect himself. The rat leader didn't want to know what Akito was thinking at the moment. He didn't want to know what Lord Akito was going to say nor did he want to see the expression on his face. What other reasons could he say for keeping Tohru Honda alive? He didn't know anything that would make Akito change his mind; making Lord Akito change his orders was pretty difficult.

"You believe that Zodiacs have to keep their dying word and pay back?"

Did Yuki fail to help another? More importantly, _save _another?

"She has Jin's bracelet."

Yuki's eyes landed straight at the cat leader who was glaring intensely at Lord Akito. The Lord didn't bother to look at the rat leader anymore as he exchanged his dark violet eyes to Kyo. They were both connected in their own visions now. Did Yuki hear correctly? Jin? That Jin? Yuki was no expert, but just like everyone else in Zodiac Castle everyone knew what the word 'Jin' meant. No on in Zodiac Castle named a child Jin because of the mysteries of Jin that very few people know in real life. More surprisingly this Jin thing only started at least seventeen years ago. Well, after two more months it would be eighteen years. But so much has gone around lately…

"Are you trying to fool with me again, _monster_?" queried Akito. Irritation yet a huge desire of answers were easily seen through his face.

Kyo narrowed his brows. "No."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah… Yes."

Akito folded his arms and leaned more pressure against his right leg, sticking his hip out almost as if he were a pissed off girl who's boyfriend just said something rude—that was a weird analogy for the Lord. Yuki was somewhat out of the conversation, but he took the moment to peer behind himself, curious about what was going on outside of the 'little conversation.' Hoto was no where to be seen, but Nukardo was still in the same group. Yuki felt exactly like ice when the Ice Dragon's eyes scanned Yuki. But still, nothing really changed for the past ten…fifteen… How long was it since he and Kyo came out here anyway? How was Tohru doing at the moment? Was Hatsuharu keeping his word about watching her? He could have a bad temper, but he was a reasonable guy who would never disobey his friends. How could Yuki think of such a disgraceful thing about his friend? He could rely on Hatsuharu.

"She stays alive," ordered Akito. He glared at the ground for a moment before looking up at Yuki. "Does she have Jin's bracelet."

Even if he didn't know, Yuki didn't waste anytime to think. "Yes, she does."

"I see." Akito looked behind himself, seeing the closed entrance gate that led to the wasteland. Then he looked at Yuki once again. "The girl will go to Zodiac Castle, away from here. The Zodiacs are going to set up traps and other necessary things for this castle. Even without killing the girl, they'll come back eventually. One of them is bound to find out that their beloved princess is gone."

Stay at Zodiac Castle? Was this supposed to be some kind of joke? She's a mortal for God's sake! Though Yuki couldn't exactly fight back the fact that Princess Tohru Honda was already in a castle filled with people who could change into animals that were part of the Chinese Zodiac; the Juunishi. But it almost seemed as though Akito was trying to protect Tohru, but that was far from what Lord Akito was thinking. Bragging that the Princess was held captive at Zodiac Castle would have brought uproar to all the mortals, making it easier to drawing them all into their own castle. And whatever Akito had mentioned about setting up traps and other things for the castle would then be used once they came. How in the world did Akito think of such an idea in so little time?

"Are you sure?" questioned Yuki, but he almost choked when he noticed Kyo's gaping mouth. Heeling him on the foot shot up his mouth.

"Are you questioning my orders?"

"No, but…" Yuki felt ridiculous. "How will we get here there? _Who's going_?"

"That was what I was thinking," mumbled Akito, looking at his fingers. "There are no Zodiac warriors at Zodiac Castle; they are all here." He cracked his fingers while looking up at the two teenage boys, ignoring his long black bangs. "The leaders would be the best choice for going back to the castle."

"All the twelve leaders?"

"I have all I need, unless you don't want her to live."

Yuki cleared his throat. "I understand. But why the leaders?" Now he wanted to gag. He shouldn't have asked that!

"The mortals might be planning on traveling to our side by sea…" Akito shrugged his shoulder. "Though then they have to pass through all the other simple daily Zodiacs before arriving at the castle, but it would be safe. More importantly, since the leaders are there they will be able to control the other Zodiac servants."

That's right. Only Yuki could control the rats. Only Kyo could control the cats. The rest; same. "I see. Do we walk there?"

Akito made a simple smile. "It would be good if Jekou could go back there too, eh? I suppose he can give you a lift."

Kyo's eyes were now gaping. "…He's going to fly us there?" Was it just Yuki, or did that sound like some kind of ridiculous joke?

"Unless you feel like walking." He didn't bother to hide his disgusted face. "Yuki, go tell all the leaders about their departure." He paused. "Tell them to bring two warriors of the same Zodiac sign. I'm thinking that it'll bring them more security and comfort."

Yuki felt as though he was going to bow down straight at Lord Akito's feet, but he wasn't crazy to do something like that. More significantly it felt as though Lord Akito had just turned into the nice guy. Sure, it was a tough battle to convince Akito this odd request, but nevertheless he took it. If Akito was just prying about the girl possessing the bracelet or that his plan about luring the mortals into their own home, whatever convinced him to agree with Yuki must have been some kind of blessing from God.

So there was another God.

"Okay."

Yuki had to grab Kyo's arm and turn him around since he was just too surprised to make a single movement. Yuki was shocked as well, but wasting time by gaping at the Lord wasn't going to improve anything. The faster things went the better. Only after the first five minutes when Tohru was discovered, she was almost killed by a snake Zodiac. That was completely outrageous!

"Kyo," interrupted Akito's voice. Both the teens turned their heads. "Kyo, you stay here for a moment. I want to speak with you first. Yuki, inform the leaders."

It took Yuki a moment to compose himself before he gave a nod, and after giving Kyo a final stare, he left his side and went into the castle, ignoring all the different shades of eyes that couldn't help but question the rat leader's strange 'secret conversation.' But Yuki didn't care about that at all. He actually saved a life. Well, not without the help of Kyo and he couldn't be positively sure, but he knew that he made progress with completing his goal. For the first time, he had actually helped someone. More importantly, he rescued a soul that didn't deserve to be killed. If it weren't for him, Tohru Honda wouldn't be alive. He saved a life.

But why did he still feel so useless?

**Front Entrance**

Kyo lingered over to Akito, irritated that Akito was still using his cunning grin to hide all of his emotions behind his faced mask. Kyo hated Lord Akito with all of his guts. Even if he agreed about letting the Princess of Mortal Castle live, that wouldn't change anything about Kyo's 'relationship' with his Lord. He was still the same man Kyo knew ever since he met his dark violet eyes. Those dark violet eyes hid more then just something to stare at. Just by looking at them could send you physical pain.

And Kyo had surely experienced those pains.

Approaching Akito, but making sure that his distance was far apart, Kyo crossed his arms. He had to make his guess as minor as possible. "You don't want me to go."

"Oh, of course you're still going back," assured Akito. "You are the cat leader after all. But still…" His grin disappeared. "I've heard plenty of things about you and the Princess of Mortal Castle. Where I received my information, well, you should know better."

Kyo narrowed his eyes. "What are you telling me?"

Akito sauntered closer to Kyo and wrapped his skinny arm over Kyo's shoulders. Anyone who would have committed a move such as that would have been sent to Hell, but Kyo remained still as Akito's breath tickled Kyo's ear.

Kyo knew that his Lord was grinning. "Kyo, meet me here in ten minutes. I need to get some things arranged."

Kyo wanted to question Akito about what he meant, but the Lord released Kyo from his grasp as he left his side. Kyo didn't bother to turn around. He just wanted to jump into some kind of pool or a bathtub and get all the germs of Akito off of him. It felt so repulsing to have Akito's touch on him, almost as if some kind of electric shock was sizzling all over his body. He didn't like it at all. But still, what was Lord Akito going to do? Was he going to inform all the other Zodiacs about their leader's departure? It was probably Jekou. Jekou was the one taking him and everyone else back to Zodiac Castle.

"_I never rode on a dragon's back before," _thought Kyo to himself.

He decided to turn around and go back inside the castle. Maybe it would be good to go into Tohru's room to make sure that she was all right. But then Kyo wouldn't have time to run back downstairs and go out into the front to see what Akito wanted with Kyo. He was desperate to see her; yes he had to admit that. He missed her smile, her laughter, her beautiful eyes that would always glittered whenever she stared at him. He missed everything about her, about his stay at Mortal Castle…

Kyo narrowed his brows. What was Akito doing talking to Hatori?

* * *

DONE! DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE! AND DON'T SHOUT AT ME BECAUSE KYO IS ACTUALLY IN HERE! ALL RIGHT! takes a deep breath Okay… Well I only have 2 more months of school before I graduate and become a pure freshman and go to high school! Maybe about 2 or 3 more months until I move to GA all the way! 2 or 3 more months until I get my braces off! 2 more months until going to Great America! Damn so many things are happening to me… But then I have to leave my friends behind, go somewhere where I'm not even familiar with, leave my bf… Things are difficult yet exciting. I'm just hoping that I'll make the promotion speech thing. Well I have to go now I MUST listen to my MP3 I love music. BYE and see all of you later in the next chapter! (And you know me… You can go on a 2 month vacation for all I care but chapter 8 will probably not be updated ha ha).

**DarkKyo**


	8. Exodus

Guess whose back to writing? Angie at your service ). Well…I suppose a lot of you are mad at me…hm. And I admit I really don't have any excuses this time as to why my absences have been SUCH an issue. Though I can't say that I _will _stay dedicated to writing, it's just that as of now I have a huge urge to just type some more. It's really call laziness that's developed into me. Actually the reason why I think I'm writing is because I found out my boyfriend writes too haha.

Also I've have been through a lot of difficulties as well. I just move to Georgia (all the way from California) and I just started high school. My boyfriend is still in California… Long distant relationship in fact. So yeah…

So I guess writing will release all my thoughts. I should stop blabbing and start writing huh? So sorry for wasting your time, and now here is chapter 8! I just hope my writing style hasn't changed _too _much…

And sorry if you all had to go back to chapter 7 to freshen up your memory. Haha…

* * *

**Chapter 8 "Exodus"**

Eyes pinned to the floor, the rat leader summarily walked through the hallways and up the stairs without becoming distracted by any of the warriors who, for some reason, kept eyeing him as though he were a huge prey for the world. The hallways were filled with chattering and a couple of shouts, but Lord Yuki was stuck in his own trance to block out everything in the world from his own.

His feet moved in a swift like motion up the final stair case that formed a spiral, descending higher and higher that lead into the uppermost tower; where the princess's room was located. Yuki remembered walking up these stairs during the three months he remained incarcerated in this fortress. Though he didn't always come up here, the sight was a familiar image to him and it was easy to envision every single feature in this room for him in his head. It almost seemed as though he had been living in this recognizable hallucination for his whole life.

Yuki couldn't deny it though. His heart was beating faster then it should have been and he couldn't do anything about it except prolong to hear its echoes throughout his whole entire body. Riding on the back of a dragon? Thousands of feet above the air and the only savior you really had was the dragon itself? Which dragon was he going to be partnered with? Lord Hatori was, of course, going. And as Lord Akito had requested—more likely ordered—two of the same Zodiacs must be accompanied as well to control the whole Zodiac Castle. How was it that Lord Yuki was fluky enough to convince Lord Akito such a privilege?

"_Everything is still a mess,"_ thought the rat leader.

Coming with a feeling that he was just doing a customary wanderlust, Yuki found himself on the princess's floor, but nothing related to being relieved swept across his fragile face this time. Approaching Tohru's bedroom door, he gave a single knock and without even waiting for an answer he opened the door.

Nothing seemed to be any different except that Tohru was awake, sitting inaudibly on the bed as the light creaking din of the chair Lord Hatsuharu remained sitting on squeaked continuously. Tohru's pale skin still somehow dazzled within the room as her posture remained far from sorrow. The shadows that once reflected against the clean wooden walls disappeared as now a bright sunlight shined into the room.

Tohru's bright sapphire eyes came piercing into Yuki as she gaped at him, her lips stuttering to find the exact words to say as she tried using her hands to engulf the terms.

"Lor-lord Yuki!" cried out Tohru blissfully, not having the slightest fear in her throat as her aura penetrated the room drastically.

Yuki couldn't help but break out a small smile as he slightly closed the door behind him. "It's nice to see you again Princess Honda-san."

How true those words were.

Tohru immediately dashed straight towards Yuki. Yuki's heart began to speed again, afraid that the princess would turn him into a rat, but instead Tohru only stood a few inches away from his body as her mouth became a fast tune song that didn't seem to have an ending, rambling on and on. How delighted Yuki felt, seeing that someone appeared so excited and grateful to see him. Being greeted this way wasn't something he was use to, but now that he thought about it, he enjoyed this. But it wasn't a really finicky feeling that whatever Tohru was saying was going through one ear; however it came out the other ear. All Yuki couldn't think was…

Yuki couldn't think of anything actually.

Yuki finally noticed Hatsuharu standing up from his chair, raising a brow, questioning silently, "What's going on?"

Yuki quickly nodded and looked back at the princess, settling her down as he placed his hands on her shoulder. "Hold on for one moment, all right?"

Tohru nodded her head rapidly, watching Yuki give her his last smile before sauntering over to Hatsuharu.

Hatsuharu purposely turned both of their backs to the princess. "Well?"

Yuki sighed. "We're heading back to Zodiac Castle." He whispered, though he held out his breath so that he could continue on. "Not all of us. Just the leaders. Plus the leaders need to choose two of their clans to come along with us as well." When Hatsuharu didn't bother to answer, Yuki cleared his throat. "Can you do me a favor?"

He nodded lightly.

"Go inform all the leaders what I just told you. I…" He tried to gesture his eyes over to the princess without making it obvious. "…want to get her away from Lord Akito as much as possible. I'll explain everything later."

Before Yuki ended the conversation, he was drawn back by the ox. "Are you sure this isn't some kind of 'attraction' thing the rat leader is having? No feelings whatsoever for little miss princess over there?"

The rat leader pathetically looked away. "Trust me. A life for a life is all I'm thinking about." He opened the door and motioned Lord Hatsuharu to leave, keeping a sincere face. "Go on. We got to get going. Tell everyone to meet at the front corridor."

Hatsuharu merely waved himself off as he closed the door shut.

The door not fully shutting, Yuki closed it with his foot while groaning. _"Everything is just a huge disarray."_

With a final shudder in his eye, he placed up his usual content mask and turned around, seeing Tohru with her face as bright as the sun glistening at Yuki. How long has it been since he's seen her? Two to three whole months? It didn't exactly _seem _that long, but still to the rat leader, it seemed to be decades since laying eyes upon the girl who saved his life. Yes, a mortal girl as well.

Yuki could easily tell the eagerness in Tohru's eyes. With a gulp, he spoke quietly, "You want to hug me, don't you?"

Lord Yuki knew he read into Tohru's mind as she slightly blushed, but still she shook her head rapidly. "No-no it's okay! It's just—well to be here now I---Lord Yuki is here and…" She shrugged innocently.

The rat leader chuckled as he strolled towards Tohru's bed, sitting virtually on the edge. "Indeed Lord Yuki is here." He traveled his iris eyes over to Tohru and made a small, cheerless grin. "I need to talk to you about something Princess Honda-san."

"…Okay!"

Yuki watched as Tohru slowly yet eagerly sat next to him, her bundles of brown hair dangling all around her face. She must have been scared out of her mind, Yuki thought. Though the princess was probably trying her best to make him seem as though she were brave enough to keep everything inside, the rat leader could see through her. Her skin was whiter then the snow that always covered the whole entire training area back at Zodiac Castle like a warm snuggly blanket and her hands were faintly shivering, just like something kept incessantly poking her. But just seeing joy in her orbs; that really stabbed Yuki's heart. Was it that just taking sight of Yuki took away her fears?

No. That couldn't be the reason.

Now, how to report this little 'adjustment' to the princess… As the seconds went by, Yuki's heart continued to shatter piece by piece. How could such a simple girl like Tohru wind up in this kind of position? More importantly, _why_? What has she done to deserve this kind of punishment? Being stuck in this whole war that, to Yuki, didn't seem important anymore. Now that he thought about it, it would be better if Tohru's life would just be taken away from this whole mess; join the Heaven's and praise everyone on Earth for their health and protection and happiness. It wasn't right to have Tohru in this position. Death seemed like a suitable answer for her.

"_But I need her," _thought Yuki as he ran his fingers through his hair. He looked up at Tohru, her curious face piercing every nerve in his body. "I want you to listen carefully, okay?"

The princess nodded, a small nudge from her smile.

Yuki started fidgeting with his somewhat long nails, but then he shook his head and looked up at the princess. To be strong, one must look into the eyes of another. Only _that _will steady any nervousness.

"_But how do I start… _It's a little difficult to say really." But before he could let Tohru speak, he held up his hand to stop her. "It's just…" Something sped through his mind in an instant. "Princess Honda-san…where have all the mortals gone to?"

Tohru's face dropped a tab; however she continued to stare at Yuki as he waited patiently for an answer. Where _have _all the mortals gone to? In such a big castle, sure, there were possibly a few hiding places that would have taken awhile before any of the Zodiacs could point one out. But _all _of them gone? Impossible! How can thousands and thousands of mortals simply…vanish in less then an hour? An hour by God! Someone just performed a damn Houdini against all of them.

And yet Princess Tohru Honda had to be the one left behind? Why her? Out of all people…

Yuki noticed the uncertainty Tohru was struggling with as she constantly kept looking around the room, trying to find an answer.

"_She doesn't want to answer…" _thought Yuki. "Pretend I didn't ask that question."

Tohru swiftly looked back at Yuki, guilt shoved straight at her. The rat leader couldn't handle this anymore. He was only causing her more complicatedness and pain just by staying here.

"I'm sorry," Tohru said with culpability.

"Princess Honda-san." He slightly fluttered his eyes, clearing his mind and putting together his thoughts correctly. "I need you to stay by my side the whole time. You're…going to come with me back to Zodiac Castle."

Yuki received the look he knew would come eventually. Perplexity from the princess filled the room. Tohru had a very small half open smile, her head cocked to the right as though something was pressuring her shoulder. Yuki continuously stroke his pale silver hair back, trying to distract himself with something besides waiting for Tohru to comprehend his orders. As of now, Tohru was in deep trouble, no matter what happened. If she remained here, she would be dead in less then twenty four hours. If Yuki continued to try and hide her, most likely her whereabouts would be discover since she had presented herself in front of some of Yuki's kind.

If she went with Yuki to Zodiac Castle, not only will her death might be cause from some random Zodiac, but her people would be in grave danger too.

"_What have I done to be in this kind of situation?" _Yuki thought sternly.

His whole entire body froze when he heard a few chattering from outside the door. He didn't have to take a glimpse at Tohru to see what she was doing. Yuki knew for a fact that Tohru was more frightened then he himself. The two of them eyed the door worriedly; anxious that someone would randomly open the door and see the human speaking with the rat leader. Yuki couldn't get up and just lock the door, for whoever was on the other side would be able to hear the door being locked. And that would only draw more awareness to the room.

Thankfully, the babbling and loud footsteps of worn out boots fainted as the rat leader's heart slowly settled, retaining its normal beat; a fast pace.

He looked back at Tohru at once. "Princess Honda-san we really need to go. I don't have time to explain."

"Zodiac Castle?"

Yuki was a bit taken back with Tohru's immediate answer. He nodded gravely. "Yes. I need you to come with me." He thought for a moment. "It's…the only way to keep you alive. _You shouldn't have said that Yuki!_"

Yuki wanted to rush out of here as soon as possible. The longer he remained here, though this was his belief, the more likely Lord Akito would simply modify his mind and command the death of the princess without delay. Yuki had already completed one of his tasks and that was to fully confirm that Tohru's life was in safe hands; Yuki's hands. Yuki was truly going to save Tohru's life. He was going to save a person's life. Just that notion… It made Yuki feel like he was the man of the world. Save…

"_No. I didn't save her." _Yuki studied the structure of Tohru's face. _"I wasn't the one who did. It—."_

"Ar-are you sure Lord Yuki?" asked Tohru a bit too quietly. She cleared her throat. "I mean, are you sure it's…okay if I went?"

Yuki made a sincere smile and nodded once again. "I'm sure. But we need to go out to the corridors now. You don't need to bring anything; there will be necessary supplies back at home…er, Zodiac Castle. _Stupid Yuki. Don't make it seem like Princess Honda-san was going to live at Zodiac Castle forever."_

Yuki stood up and offered his hand. "I'm not going to force you if you don't want to. _But you have to. Please._ I'll protect you." He smiled faintly.

Why did it seem like Tohru would rather die then go to Zodiac Castle?

The rat leader watched the princess waver as she took a last glimpse around the room. Of course this was such a thorny selection for her, so Yuki wasn't going to pressure her. But each and every second mattered in this kind of state of affairs.

Yuki felt the cold yet smooth skin of Tohru's hand against his own.

* * *

Holding Tohru's arm with a tight yet relaxed grip, Yuki tenderly pulled her through the castle, wanting to get out of this place as soon as possible. Every single living person in the fortress kept their unique eyes upon the princess and the rat leader, murmuring such tainted language in shock. Everybody froze from their jobs and watched Lord Yuki escort…a _mortal_ throughout the castle. A plain modest mortal! So many of the Zodiacs just didn't have the urge to pull out their weapon nor could they just disregard the attendance of the princess and the rat. 

Yuki composed his face as he directed his eyes to remain in control; only staring what was in front of him and making sure the sides of his eyes were blacked out. He knew many of the Zodiacs were gazing upon them, mostly the princess. Yuki didn't want to look around his surroundings; that would only trigger the Zodiacs to rapidly come up to them and ask meaningless questions and accusations. He heard a few snickering, but Yuki couldn't essentially detect where it was coming from.

"_Just overlook them all." _Yuki took a nippy glance at Tohru, making sure she was in good hands. Her eyes incessantly wandered all over the place, but mostly at the crimson rug.

"_Dammit," _thought Yuki. He didn't want so much awareness at Tohru.

"I heard that there was a mortal in here." Yuki's eyes flickered, but he didn't dare to turn around and see who spoke those words. He shook his head while grabbing the railing of the diminutive staircase, waiting for Tohru to stand by his side as they both scampered down the steps, Tohru walking more leisurely.

Yuki leaned towards Tohru slowly. "It's all right Princess Honda-san. We just need to hurry, okay?" He loosened his grip against Tohru, trying to show her that he was no harm to her at all. _"But I'm a Zodiac. Can she believe me?" _

Mortals. Zodiacs. _Such_ a misunderstanding.

Taking a little swallow, Tohru nodded and tried to crack a smile. "Okay."

It took Lord Yuki a moment before he could detach his violet orbs away from the princess's as he turned a corner, leading to the next and first hallway where tons of more Zodiacs came into the view of both he and the girl he wanted to protect oh so dearly. Yuki felt Tohru stiffen a bit, but her pace didn't steady as this gave Yuki permission to proceed on. It was so odd; this kind of state of affairs. In the beginning, Lord Yuki, the rat leader, was the one who was known as an outsider in Mortal Castle. But now… Princess Tohru Honda was the one being neglected; shunned. In her own home as well. Their role of positions altered.

Right away a few bored colorful eyes took a quick glimpse at Yuki, but right when they went back to their business, they stared back at the two of them once again, noticing that Lord Yuki wasn't unaided. However, they didn't seem disclosure like the other Zodiacs back upstairs. That was probably because they have heard of the news by passing by Zodiacs. Yuki noticed a few huddled in a group, whispering things that were probably nonsense as they kept pointing at the princess who was close to grasping Yuki's whole entire arm.

He felt Tohru stumble a bit as she almost brought him down with her, but gratefully she still regained her step. "We're almost outside."

She just nodded.

Thankfully, Yuki spotted a familiar black and white haired person strolling over towards them, hands jammed easily into his pockets as he swept some of his bangs away from his smoky eyes. Yuki made a relieve smile as Lord Hatsuharu gave a sluggish nod to the princess. The rat leader didn't sneak a peak to see how Princess Tohru responded to Haru's greeting, but one thing he knew for sure; Yuki didn't have to worry about the liaison between Haru and Tohru. Things would probably be tolerable for them.

"How's the situation?" Yuki asked, feeling dozens of eyes gawking at him.

"It's pretty swell I guess." Haru shrugged and looked behind himself. "Almost all of the leaders are outside with their two chosen kind. I haven't seen Lord Hatori or Lord Kyo yet."

Yuki's body jumped when he felt a huge sudden movement from Tohru. He adverted his eyes onto the princess as he saw her gazing off into the middle of no where, not even taking the slightest blink. She appeared to be like a statue. A statue…

"_Is it one of her visions again?"_

He saw Hatsuharu's gloved a hand on the princess's shoulder as he slightly shook her. Tohru started blinking rapidly as she stared at the ox leader.

"Are you all right Princess?" questioned Hatsuharu kindly yet jadedly.

Tohru nodded slowly, however she was still looking off into the aloofness. Yuki's orbs were still roaming around her features, seeing that she was whiter then ever. Dear lord, how did her skin become so pale and cold all of the sudden?

"_Lord Kyo… _We should get going now—."

"Kyo-kun is here?" questioned Tohru out of the blue, eyes so mystified yet electrifying.

"Yeah, I just don't know where he is really…" Hatsuharu raised a curious brow. "But you'll probably see him later on today or something."

Yuki wanted to laugh. _"I knew it."_

Lord Hatsuharu remained by the rat leader's side as they started heading towards the open front doors, the outside light peering straight into them as Yuki felt a good sensation wandering around his body; the warmness hugging him deeply. It was much warmer down here then upstairs; it seemed like Yuki hadn't been in the sun in such a long time. The only thing that was ruining his moment was the numerous eyes around the place who just didn't know how to mind their own business. Yuki started to wonder how many blindfolds he needed to cover all of these damn eyes.

Everything outside didn't seem to be dissimilar. Yuki imagined a little shuffle between all the Zodiacs since the departure of some few would be taking off. Looking towards his left, he did see huge piles of weapons being stacked upon one another; numerous daggers and other short length spheres such as juttes and wakizashis. There were even a few strange shape items that weren't familiar with the rat leader either. Lord Yuki had been a 'prisoner' in this castle for around three months and yet he didn't even think about the weapons the mortals kept. Where were all these artilleries hidden?

A somewhat small tiger quickly pranced by his side as he heard a light squeak from the princess, feeling her fingers clenching the tight wrap sleeve on Yuki's arm. The rat leader looked behind himself and frowned when he saw a fairly large tiger baring its teeth just for the princess. It closed its chops swiftly once noticing Yuki's severe glare as it then gave Yuki a cold shoulder, gradually striding away without a show of guilt. The princess was, after all, a mortal.

"_It's okay Princess Honda-san," _thought Yuki as he noticed Lord Hatsuharu rushing his steps. Yuki looked ahead, noticing a certain group that stood out from the rest.

Before Yuki could even take a step, a figure with jet black hair started to dash away from the group until he slipped himself through the tough, thick forest green bushes. Many of the Zodiacs paid no heed towards what was happening between all of the Zodiac leaders. Yuki spotted his brother merely laughing along with the dog leader, Lord Shigure. Dear Lord. Yuki did _not _want Princess Tohru Honda to know the presence of his brother. Heavens no. And then he noticed the horse leader merely tapping her foot with impatience, ignoring her hair flowing in front of her delicate face.

Immediately a penetrating glow erupted outside of the inner 'use-to-be' Mortal Castle as Yuki remained standing away from the rest of the group, concentrating on the comfort of the princess. Yuki was practically her body guard now. The glow beyond the huge bushes surrounding the castle flashed different colors of ice blue and the snowy white clouds until a massive beast erupted from the ground, floating into the sky leisurely. The rat leader lingered his vision over to the princess as he watched the different emotions running around her face. He went back to looking around his surroundings, noticing that all the Zodiacs didn't even care about what was happening. It was normal to him, after all.

The icy dragon carefully landed back onto the ground, giving the impression that he was ready to go.

Lord Akito's voice caught Yuki's attention as he gave Tohru a light tug, indicating her to follow. "All right." Akito's eyes studied the leaders who were present. "Dog, tiger, snake, boar and horse. Go with Lord Nukardo." He took a last study before raising his brows. "Hurry up."

Yuki was finally with the group as he watched the chosen Zodiacs leaving with their two companions into the bushes, making their way through to the outside layer. The rat leader felt thankful when he saw his brother walking away with Shigure cheerfully, not knowing the whereabouts of Yuki. At least Yuki didn't have to deal with him while coming home. Now _that _would cause such a huge headache.

He noticed the remaining Zodiacs taking fast glances at Tohru, not wanting to be obvious that they were accompanied by a mortal who just happened to be _the_ princess of their enemies. Sure, she was _just _a princess to someone. But she's part of the kind that _killed _Zodiacs. Even if she never harmed a Zodiac in her life, she was still part of the ones who did. The Zodiacs saw all mortals as monstrous creature who just couldn't accept the fact that maybe _they_—as in the mortals—weren't the normal ones.

A dagger stung into Yuki's chest as he noticed Akito grinning at Tohru. "So this is the infamous princess I have heard so much about."

Tohru looked into the eyes of Lord Akito rapidly, her face dead as she tried to crack a brave smile. "It-it's nice to-to meet you…um…"

Akito studied Tohru lazily, ignoring everyone around him. Yuki didn't like Akito's eyes on her at all. No, it wasn't because of jealousy. Nobody ever knew what was running through Akito's head, and who knew _what_ was running through his head now? Lord Yuki had no idea how Akito thought of her. He never really showed any emotions whenever Tohru's name was mentioned. But one thing Yuki did know; to Akito, Tohru was trouble towards his kind. That was why Yuki was still stunned by Lord Akito's decision to let Tohru leave the castle. To _leave _and be protected!

Lord Akito was planning something.

Akito gave a surprising calm smile. "Such a beauty for a princess."

Tohru gaped for a moment until a massive blush overwhelmed her delicate face. "I-I'm um…"

"And so endearing as well," Akito added with a chuckle.

Right away a huge shadow covered everyone as they all looked up to see the aqua dragon, Nukardo, departing from the Mortal Land. Yuki could see the Zodiacs on top of it, clenching onto the soft dark bluish hair for support. Just watching the Zodiacs hanging on gave a little fright to the rat leader. Was it safe for them to ride on a dragon? Of course not! But it was the only way to get back to Zodiac Castle in such a short amount of time. But the more he thought about being hundreds of feet from the air and flying through the skies at a massive speed; someone kill him.

Lord Yuki clenched his fists as he watched Akito muttering something to the buzz cut crimson head, Hoto. Was he going to be coming back to Zodiac Castle as well? Yuki understood the relationship between Hoto and Kyo. It was, however, a bit complicated to actually _describe _everything that occurred during their years together. If Yuki didn't know better, he would have assumed that their relationship was _much _worst then he and Kyo. Now _that…_

Haru nudged Yuki on the rib. "The princess looks as though she's going to collapse."

Yuki raised a brow as he looked down at Tohru, noticing her still gazing at the blue dragon floating away; the sharp, penetrating sparkles surrounding it glittering in the bright sky blue sky. Why in Heaven's name do they have to go back on the back of a dragon? As of now, Yuki really wished that they could have walked. Yet again, that wouldn't be such a superior idea. Having Zodiacs, who knew more combat then hundred's of Tohru's put together, free to be in contact with the princess for possibly a day or two, Yuki would _not _take the chance.

A thought hit Yuki's head. "Did you choose anybody from the rat clan to come with us?" Yuki looked around, not being familiar with any of the Zodiacs around him.

Hatsuharu merely ignored Yuki as the rat leader glared thunderous daggers at the ox. He looked around quickly, hoping to find any rat Zodiacs in sight. Goddamn that Lord Haru. Yuki could never know when Hatsuharu was serious about his decisions or thoughts. That was something he could always remember Haru by. "Rat 108, 222!"

Two wondrous heads by the tower of mortal weapons spotted Yuki and rushed over to him, both of them asking 'what?' "You're coming back with me to Zodiac Castle." This would have to do, thanks to the all mighty Lord Hatsuharu.

Both of the men rat Zodiacs nodded quite rapidly, both looking at each other with a hidden expression.

The bright flash, similar to the blue one Nukardo, the dragon Zodiac, created, glistened a dark red shade as it peered through the openings of the green bushes, reflecting against Yuki's face. He looked behind himself, taking in the familiar sights of Mortal Castle. A colossal dragon raised its head above the bushes, its chocolate eyes glaring at Tohru with a playful twinkle. Everyone was teasing the princess so much it was starting to make Lord Yuki want to attack his own kind.

Akito didn't keep his eyes away from Yuki. "Rat, ram, ox, monkey, rabbit; go with Lord Hoto."

A strange gut feeling overwhelmed Yuki unexpectedly as he watched the rabbit and the monkey leader lead the way, the ox about to make his way with the ram leader. Yuki looked around hesitantly, his eyes wandering around to each person that he saw, but they somehow kept landing on Akito. Right away, he grasped Haru's arm and incidentally pulled Tohru at the ox leader.

"Um…" He looked behind himself at Akito, seeing him walking away. "Take Princess Honda-san with you. And tell Lord Hoto I'll be there in a second."

Without asking the reason as to why, Haru merely shrugged as he started walking away, assuming Tohru would follow without command too. Yuki took a quick glance at the princess before saying hurriedly, "I'll be right there Princess Honda-san."

Still unsure about her decisions, she slowly nodded her head, taking small steps backwards as her eyes wouldn't leave the sight of Yuki. He didn't want to tear his orbs away from her, but instead he forcefully turned around and rushed over to Akito's side who was muttering something quietly to himself, giving off the impression that he didn't want to be bothered.

"Lord Akito, what—?"

Akito eyed the rat leader dead on, however he still had a small grin. "Rat leader?"

Yuki fumbled with his hands, gathering his words together in his head. "Where's Lord Hatori? Lord Kyo?"

Akito cocked a head and patted Yuki on the shoulder a little too roughly. "And why has someone, such as Lord Yuki, paid heed to two Zodiacs such as them? Mostly, such as the cat?"

Yuki lowered his hands to his side. "I was just curious, Lord Akito…"

Akito brushed him off with his shoulder as he started walking away again. "They'll be at Zodiac Castle later."

Yuki wanted to ask more, but the cold aura Lord Akito gave off kept Yuki away. He watched him strolling around the place, hands folded behind his back. Yuki didn't like the feeling of leaving Akito here. No, it wasn't because of consideration over the fortification or compulsory needs for such a man as him, but the thought of leaving Akito at Mortal Castle was…darkly frightening. He, Lord Yuki, knew for sure that there was more then just taking the princess away from the castle and instead protecting her at Zodiac Castle. Akito would never ever take upon 'protecting' an enemy.

Was he doing the same thing as King Yishanu did? Does Akito want information from Tohru? That must have been the reason. Putting Lord Akito and Princess Tohru in the same room to discuss certain issues; that wouldn't work out at all. Akito wouldn't have the patience to understand Tohru and if Akito didn't get the things he wanted, the only thing that would slowly erupt from him was devastation, antagonism, and cruelty. Or does he want the rat leader to retrieve information from the princess? Or possibly that's why Lord Kyo stayed behind. Was he trying to convince—or possibly _bribe_—the cat leader to steal information from the princess for, say, protection? But then why leave Hatori behind? To keep an eye out on him incase Kyo tried to do anything…suspicious like?

"_What does Akito want?" _Yuki bit his lip as he scrambled his way through the bushes, seeing a huge, sparkling red scale leg, its smoky black claws playing with the ground.

He saw everyone aboard on the scarlet dragon, all looking around and a few spotting the rat leader. Yuki felt a bit uncomfortable. Finally, it was time. Yuki looked around hurriedly, not wanting to make himself seem like a confused little boy who didn't know how to do anything. Mercifully he spotted the tail of the dragon lying on the ground, forming a lengthy trail leading to the dragon's back. Pulling himself together and catching a swift glance from a pair of sapphire eyes, the rat leader rushed over to the tail and carefully stepped onto it, grasping the dragon's hair for support. The scales felt like stoned rocks that had been polished twenty four-seven.

Out of no where he felt the gravity pressing down on him as he looked behind himself, seeing the dragon raise its tail slowly. Once it formed a straight line with its whole body, Yuki controlled his balance as he hastily ran over to the body, joining everybody else who sat on the dragon like a regular kind of mammal. Yuki found the princess sitting near Lord Hatsuharu as he made a content smile, approaching them and taking a seat gradually.

Really. This was utterly insane, awkward, gauche, new…

"Lord Hoto we're ready," shouted the rabbit leader, Weive, as Yuki looked behind himself, noticing everybody with unsure hesitation of leaving on the back of a dragon.

Yuki, sitting behind Tohru, looked at the princess. He couldn't see her face, but he knew for sure that she was nervous, scared, confused, but most importantly, lost. Leaning towards her, he whispered, "I'm sorry Princess Honda-san."

Tohru turned around, eyes shaking, but she managed a guilty smile. "Nn…Lord Yuki, its okay. Really." She looked in front of herself where Lord Hatsuharu sat. Yuki heard a shaky giggle. "I…um, I never rode a…"

Yuki chuckled, slowing rubbing her shoulder to soothe her. "Neither have I, princess."

She looked at Yuki again shocked. "Rea—really?"

"We all haven't, so we're as scared as you are." Yuki tightened his grip on Tohru's shoulder as he felt the gravity weighing down on him again, Tohru shrieking as her muscles tightened. He noticed Mortal Castle slowly becoming under his feet as Tohru kept shifting in her seat, not being able to restrain herself.

Even though he almost lost his balance, he reached around Tohru and grasped one of her hands, stroking it with his thumb. A cliché move, but most likely, a comforting move. "Princess Honda-san, look at Mortal Castle."

She was already taking everything from her home with her eyes, watching all the strange hair colored people roaming around her home. The green barrier she created with Kaxa was out of sight now as the infamous 'Guard Graveyard' caught her attention. Tohru knew that Yuki was the creator of that, but she just couldn't find the urge to not forgive him. She forgave him the minute he confided in her. The reason; she had no clue.

Yuki continue to try his best and settle down Tohru. Softly, he said, "You'll see this place again Princess Honda-san. I promise."

Tohru made a quick glance at Yuki, giving him a small, content smile. The rat leader noticed her eyes becoming watery, but he didn't want to make it noticeable to her. Mostly, this was the time where she needed to recollect her thoughts. To accept what has happened. To understand that she was now held captive by the Zodiacs. To learn that things wouldn't necessarily be the same. To completely comprehend the truth that for now, Tohru's surroundings would be his life; Yuki's life; the Zodiac's life.

"There's my balcony!" Though others might have thought that Tohru was excited, Lord Yuki knew she was trying to create that excitement. Not only for others sakes, but for hers as well.

He tried to help Tohru pull off her 'a okay' stunt. "Yes it is."

Yuki's heart skipped a beat when he felt Tohru twine her fingers with his, clenching his tightly. "I'm glad Lord Yuki is here with me."

"_The same with me." _Yuki felt the dragon turn its course, finally getting itself adjusted to having people on his back.

As it started leaving, Yuki's eyes spotted Lord Akito, accompanied by his son Jekou and…Lord Kyo?

The rat leader didn't have to tell Tohru of Kyo's whereabouts, for right when he studied Tohru, he knew for sure that she was staring directly at him. Her face appeared to be some kind of figurine; unable to even make the slightest twitch out of any face muscle. However, her face wasn't white anymore.

Yuki looked back at the cat leader, seeing him exchanging words with Lord Akito and Jekou on and off as he stood in his usual lazy yet graceful stance. Jekou made a bow directed at Kyo as he looked away annoyingly, only to make his crimson orbs stare directly in Lord Yuki's direction suddenly. Yuki immediately felt anger circulating his bloodstream, imagining steam escaping his skin, though a soft spot inside of him destroyed the steam. However Kyo's eyes crept over to Tohru Honda as Yuki felt her hand lessen it's grip. He secretly looked at her, noticing her gaping her mouth only a bit.

Looking out of the corner of his eyes, Yuki watched as Kyo continued to keep his eyes on the princess, watching her leaving with the dragon off into the sky. Soon enough, it was impossible to even notice anybody at Mortal Castle since the building was as small as a mere rat.

"_What is Akito doing…" _Yuki looked behind himself, seeing the ram leader, Takeshi, and the monkey leader, Takuto.

* * *

Again, I deeply _deeply _apologize with every strength I have about not updating. Like I said before, it's due to laziness, adjusting to living in Georgia, mostly life I suppose. Things have changed here lately and I'm trying my best to adjust to them. I have to be content if I want to write. As of now, I'm not exactly content, but I'm forcing myself to write since I keep getting reviews questioning me, "What the hell where are you?" It does make me sad. (By the way, I know my writing wasn't very…_grand, _in this chapter) Mostly, from my point of view, I don't understand why this story, as some of you say, is great. To me, the more I think about it, the more I start to dislike it. That doesn't mean I'm going to delete it. I told one of my reviewers that I would complete this story no matter what and I'm not going to throw that off. So please, if you don't review, I understand. I'm just going to try my best to update as often as possible. I know not updating will affect me with readers and such, but that's my fault of course. What else… Mm… Have a happy New Years everybody! I'm extremely excited for 2007 because I get to visit California again in the summer. That is…only if I passed my biology exams. I don't know if I passed it...but I'll find out on January 10. I guess that's pretty much it. Oh. I'm not that fanatic with Furuba anymore, but still expect me to still write. I'll continue; promise. . Read, review, repeat. 

By the way! This is optional, but when I write/read a story, I tend to listen to music that puts a strange mood into me. So when reading my stories (again, my opinion) you can possibly listen to these songs so that you can get a nice mood when reading/writing.

A Beautiful Lie—30 Seconds To Mars (I love this song)

The Kill—30 Seconds To Mars

From Yesterday—30 Seconds To Mars

(Anything from 30 Seconds to Mars. They're my 2nd favorite).

Far Away—Nickleback

Hurt—Christina Aguilera

Ice Box—Omarion

Let Love In—Goo Goo Dolls

Lips of an Angel—Hinder

Your Guardian Angel—The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

I Need A Hero (Forgot actual singer)

Simple Man—Shinedown

(Anything by Stained, but mostly the song "It's Been A While")

Stop Crying Your Heart Out—Oasis

Wherever You Will—The Calling

The Reason—Hoobastank

These Walls—Johnny Orr

You—Switchfoot

All My Life—KCI and JoJo

Crazy—KCI and JoJo

Cannonball—Damien Rice

Chasing Cars—Snow Patrol

Don't Cry—Guns N Roses

This Ain't a Scene, its an Arm's Race—Fall Out Boy (very good song).

Yes, to me, those songs usually soothe me and keep me writing/reading stories haha. Of course, sometimes it would throw me off…but… Anyway, just give those songs a try, especially "A Beautiful Lie." I listen to other songs besides these. The band Avenged Sevenfold? They're my favorite band . M. Shadow is so hot. All right I'll try my best to update more. If you want you can talk to me on myspace and see if I'm writing or not haha. Bye .


	9. Forgotten

Well, here's Angie once again. Taking her sweet ass time to write this next chapter... There were some difficulties with the Microsoft programs I had and basically, I couldn't upload anything. Also, I had to get a whole new drive for my laptop, meaning that everything previously on my laptop was deleted; including all of my background information _and _chapter 9. So I have to rewrite everything all over again (when I write, I write whatever comes to my head. I really don't make any preparations…I hope that isn't bad). So I'm sorry for the delay. But now it's summer! A whole 2 months for writing haha. But I'm going to California in 5 days so I'm super excited to see my friends, boyfriend, and family again! That's pretty much everything going on in my life (ignoring major shopping and a new hairstyle) so here is the story!

**Chapter 9 "Forgotten"**

Quiet. Silent. The whole tunnel was dead still. Only the soft breaths coming from the beings roaming the tunnel echoed off of the walls, the shuffling of tired feet grazing the ground. A few people hidden in the crowd held lit torches, raising it above their heads to provide light for the mortals behind them. The humidity traveled all over the passageway, sweat trickling down the dirty skins of the people and making home onto the soft ground. Almost all of the children were being carried as some had their eyes shut, sleeping away the moments passing by. Everyone's expression was lifeless; no shine in their eyes nor a delightful grin to ensure others around them. There was nothing to be happy about. Nothing at all. The reason? Too many to name.

Though everyone was huddled in a pack, not even caring about the heat they were producing in the cramped burrow, Ghanjan remained in the lead, far for anyone to talk to him in a regular toned voice. Lifeless arms dangled by his sides as he kept his sinister eyes on the ground, swaying back and forth like a controlled puppet. Though in any second did it appear that he would just collapse in front of the crowd, Ghanjan's pace was faster than the rest behind him.

Ghanjan's eyes struggled to stay open. "_Two hours…" _He looked over his shoulder, immediately spotting Hanajima who was second in the lead. Her expression was the same as usual; unexplainable. "_Where is the ending of this tunnel…"_

"_Keep your words."_

Ghanjan shook his head harshly, wiping his clammy hands over his face as he sped up. He had to get out of this tunnel immediately. Remaining in this channel… it was pure agony that incessantly pounded Ghanjan with harsh, disturbing memories that _he _created on his own just for the happiness of none other than Tohru, the most essential person he needed in his life. To let her run off like that in search of Kaxa; how foolish could he get? There were Zodiacs in the damn castle and letting a mere mortal run off inside a dangerous place filled with fatal enemies? As of now, he wouldn't necessarily mind bringing out his dagger and killing himself right in front of everyone. Nobody would care. Not after what he had done…

The expressions he was going to receive once everyone found out about the absence of the princess.

The expression from King Yishanu. The chance to earn his trust _and _approval…

"_How could I…" _Ghanjan could feel his whole body starting to shake, but with performing steady breaths Kaxa had once explained to him during combat training, his body merely tensed up as he remained like a statue, walking in the darkness as minor thoughts remained hidden beneath his eyes. It was better than shaking uncontrollably like a freak; especially when the almighty Hanajima was strolling _right _behind him.

Though he was loose with torturing himself with atrocious thoughts and assumptions, a faded glimpse of luminosity appeared in front of his eyes. Almost as if…

Ghanjan quickly spun around and pointed directly towards the light. "The exit! Everyone we're here!"

That was all he had to say as he forced himself to sprint up the tunnel. The tunnel exploded with the thunderous stomping of the crowd, everyone rampaging through the burning passage of hell. Each being was crying out in desperation inside their mind, wanting to free themselves away from the presence of others and to get their own space for once. Though the two hour walk basically took the life out of everyone, each one struggled to climb up the steep tunnel in order to feel the fresh sky over their heads besides the flaming torch cooking them to death.

There was no smile on Ghanjan's face as the light got brighter and bigger right in front of his own eyes. "_Almost there…"_

And immediately on that cue, he found himself flung into the wide open space, tossing himself onto the jade field that spread all over the land in front of him. The mortals suddenly dashed in front of him, everyone cheering with joy as other people copied Ghanjan's movements; carelessly falling onto the grass as they all felt nature's coolness comforting them. A few cries here and there shouted through the chattering crowd as a few broke down into terrible bawls; supposedly a cry that they had survive the near experience death of an enemy. Something every single person feared.

Ghanjan sat up and watched everyone enjoying their moment of delight. He was content; that was for sure. Everyone had managed to escape a place, which was once called home, a nightmare. The pure happiness engulfing everyone took him by surprise, but why argue with them? They didn't know what had happened in the tunnel. They didn't know that the princess was left behind, presenting herself freely into the hands of the Zodiacs. The things that those nasty beings could do to her… No one could imagine the possibility of the chances Tohru had to face now.

Shouts of help suddenly filled the atmosphere. Ghanjan looked around his environment, taking in the nature that surrounded him. Lush green grass, plants, reddish and orange skies with purplish clouds roaming above his head…

With no sign of any villages or outside people…

Just when he thought that doomsday was going to occur again, a sudden voice was heard despite everyone shouting their heads off.

"Everyone this way!"

Ghanjan watched as all his comrades scurried over to a teenage girl, supposedly a villager from some kind of rural community nearby since what she was wearing didn't match anyone. Basically, that was something Ghanjan pleaded for. He got up and sauntered along with the crowd as well, trying to blend himself in with everyone else as they followed the petite dark haired girl. This time, everyone appeared content with the condition they were in right now. All plastered with grins and probably thoughts about food and shelter; how he wanted to have such a care free memory…

He spotted Uotani, strolling along with Hanajima as they spoke silently to themselves. Surprisingly, Hanajima seemed to be the talkative one in the group as Uotani remained…emotionless. There wasn't any electricity of excitement or fury escaping her. Not this time. Not after what Ghanjan did…

Then he saw Kaxa, away from the whole entire crowd and off on her own. She walked gradually with her head still held up high. If one looked at her, nobody would think that there was something wrong with her. Her posture, face, everything; they were under controlled. Her black eyes stayed focused with what was in front of her and that was a place to remain safe and hidden…for now. But hidden deep inside those eyes; Ghanjan didn't want to know, but he was pretty sure that he had a good thought about it.

His heart increased when he noticed that there was no sight of King Yishanu…

As of now, Ghanjan felt like _he _was a Zodiac. An enemy.

* * *

The princess silently sat on the graceful dragon, letting the breeze stab her face and eyes. Her dress slightly rustled with the wind, dry cold wetness developing near the corners of her sapphire orbs. Tohru made a soft, sturdy sigh as she ignored the tons of hair wrapping around her face. In the beginning, pretending to be content with the whole situation seemed to be a piece of cake. But now that she was traveling away from her home, now that reality was actually sinking in, there was no reason to try and pretend to act different. Of course, she had done it tons of times for other people's bliss. But who was she trying for now? She would be surrounded by strangers... Ignoring Lord Yuki and Momiji of course, but...

Was this how they felt when they arrived at her home? Did they consider her a stranger that they didn't want to be involved with?

She felt a light tap against her shoulder as she looked behind herself, Yuki's amethyst eyes sorrowful. His expression seemed a bit surprised as he cleared his throat. "You seem to be a little quiet." Yuki tilted his head slightly. "...Are you okay Princess Honda-san?"

Immediately Tohru widened her eyes, puzzled. "Oh? Do I look out of it?" She couldn't help but ever so lightly blush with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that I was giving off that impression! I'm just kind of lost in thought, that's all."

The rat leader stared at her. "Oh."

"It's going to be so exciting meeting people like Lord Yuki," commented Tohru, turning back around as quickly her smile faltered.

Whatever happened to 'there was no reason to try and pretend to act different?' Tohru shut her eyes, licking her lips as she shuffled along with her thoughts. She just couldn't seem to risk other people being worried about her emotions. Was Lord Yuki really unaware about her actual feelings? Was he supposedly trying to go along with her act so that he wouldn't cause any trouble for her?

That as of now she would rather remain back in Mortal Castle and risk her life besides going to enemies' grounds?

The thought was negative and absolutely nonsense, but Tohru felt disappointed in her decision on following Lord Yuki into safety; running away. She was too selfish to stay back at home with the Zodiacs; possibly with other mortals who might have been left behind. She, the only princess and 'daughter' of King Yishanu, abandoned her home for her own protection instead of her people. She couldn't even check whether Kaxa was safe! With the absence of her presence, who knows what might happen to the barrier she created! Could her magic die eventually? Just a small adjustment of the barrier could end everything.

Once that barrier broke and the Zodiacs discovered the passage in the dungeons, the mortals were doomed.

The Zodiacs would be free into the Mortal land.

"_I'm so sorry everyone."_

* * *

"Why are you so excited?"

Momiji sauntered pleasantly through the halls, chomping away on some fruit cake, whip cream decorating his lips. Kisa and Hiro followed behind, Hiro holding a yo-yo as he merely dragged it on the ground, not amused by the silly toy.

Momiji's eyes danced. "This cake is so delicious!"

"_Such an idiot," _thought Hiro as he glanced over at Kisa, seeing her small, cute smile as her cheeks reddened with enjoyment. She was _such _a pretty girl, it surprised Hiro that she didn't have a boyfriend yet. The way her sleek auburn hair gently swayed with her movements and her matching, round eyes that sparkled in the dark; Kisa was more than an average Zodiac. She was so innocent around everyone and had tons of manners. Kisa could somehow brighten up the room with her presence, unlike Hiro...

Why would she be friends with a guy like him?

"You know, there's this one girl name Honey who use to always make sweets using honey because that was her name!" Momiji stuffed the remains into his mouth, still talking as bits of sweets came flying out. "I haven't eaten anything she's made for a long time!"

Actually, why was Hiro friends with some seventeen year old kid who obviously acted like a ten year old, not to mention he was held captive in Mortal Castle for a year and that everyone thought he was dead? He was a _shame _to the Zodiacs; working alongside with the mortals and not even making an attempt to escape.

"_What a disappointment..." _Hiro was filled with disgraceful views about the rabbit, that was until he noticed a few servants rushing through a different hallway further up ahead from them; most of them women as they held the hem of their dresses above their feet to prevent themselves from falling. A few commands here and there echoed around the building. Groups were scattered as well; ranging from different sizes.

Hiro and Kisa walked over to Momiji, watching the actions of everyone. Some servants stood around idiotically, looking all over the place like Hiro was. He found a group of servants discussing something very rapidly with arms flying around the place, that was until they dashed out of their huddle and started running towards the stairs leading downstairs. More and more servants started to follow.

"I wonder what's going on," questioned Kisa, a tint of concern in her voice as her large orbs watched the Zodiacs.

Hiro cleared his throat loudly. "It's nothing to be afraid of. _Great. That's a reason to make her worry_!"

"I'm going to see!" Momiji announced proudly, speeding away without another say. Hiro didn't even bother but to raise his brows with annoyance, watching Momiji's fluffy hair bouncing with his movements. Momiji needed to control his emotions a bit more.

Well...a lot more to be exact.

"Do you want to see what's going on?" Kisa looked at Hiro worriedly.

Hiro was silent for a moment before taking the lead, not bothering to make eye contact with the cute tigress. "I guess."

* * *

The chipper rabbit soon found himself with a big crowd gathering outside the corridors, the gates slowly being released by a pack of monkeys all shouting out at each other. There were six circular carvings on each gate; each with a figure of a Zodiac that was carefully carved in. There were no colors; just simple plain brown wood that blended in with the gate. The eyes of the Zodiacs, however, were rubies and different color gems. It wasn't necessarily a huge worship gate or anything, but merely a motivation for who they were and that they should be proud to be a Zodiac.

People who could change into animals. What a difference compare to mortals...right?

A loud thump shook the occupied ground as everyone cried out surprised. Heads were tossing back and forth until a shout bellowed out, "It's all right! The gate was released too early!"

"I'm so sorry sorry sorry I am deeply sorry me! It is me who is apologizing because I'm so sorry I should just die! Die, die that's what I should do because of my sorrow and these apologizing for my sorrow and the cause of my being so sorry I'm so sorry!"

A group of older women approached the auburn haired monkey, Ritsu, and led him away from the crowd as the monkey continued to cry out his apologies. Some Zodiacs were either giving him a deathly, cold glare. However some, who were mostly girls, watched with sadness and help in their eyes. Momiji was part of that group as he saw Ritsu searching around crazily, shouting, "Where's the weapons!" His tail whacked everyone and each time he hit a home runner, another apology was thrown out.

"That's Momiji, right?"

Momiji's eyes traveled towards a group of elderly older women who were near the Ritsu scene, glancing at the rabbit without trying to make themselves noticeable.

"He came from Mortal Castle huh," one whispered.

"Yeah." Unfortunately, the other one managed to catch Momiji staring at them as the lady quickly turned around, her back hunched. "Poor dear," he heard her silently say.

Momiji made a petite smile as he blended himself with the crowd even more, trying to figure out what was going on around this place. Why did everyone suddenly charge outside? But wherever he went, Momiji would hear someone mentioning his name and his past experience back at that foul place... As they so say.

So he was captured by the mortals and held captive in Mortal Castle for little over a year. What everyone thought was that he was kept in a small, cold, wet dungeon with nothing to eat except rabbit meat, a sign of torture for him. Momiji was never introduced to light and he only took a shower once a month. The kids would purposely visit him and throw carrots at him for fun, but Momiji wouldn't care as he would devour the vegetable, pleading to the God that he would survive this insanity. The warriors would even use him as practice targets; however it didn't really seem like practice...

That was the story of the Zodiacs.

It wasn't the story of Momiji.

For the first day or so, he, Momiji, was kept in a dungeon, yes. And technically he was weak since the mortals did a little beating so that his capture wouldn't cause them problem. That's what the Zodiacs would have done if he were, hypothetically, a mortal. But he was then set free by Tohru, the princess of Mortal Castle without an explanation. From what he heard by Ghanjan, it was because he was no use for any information regarding the Zodiacs. He was placed as a servant and was treated like everyone else; with kindness and respect. There was no tint of hatred or rejection from _any _mortal whatsoever. He ate, but not just carrots and rabbit meat. Tons of dishes that one could imagine were set upon him—sweets specifically—and he was outside twenty-four seven. He loved playing with the little kids; they weren't torturous at all.

But no matter how many times Momiji tried to speak about the mortals well being, negative rumors somehow managed to interrupt him. Even if one took the time to listen to what Momiji said, they wouldn't take it in. Some believed that he was trying to hide his past experience and not make himself seem weak. Some believed that he didn't even _want _to remember those memories anymore and instead he was trying to make up memories of his own to replace that hard, dreadful year.

"What are you talking about?"

Momiji glanced around and finally noticed a small man, looking up at the sky as though he were searching for an answer. His pale gray eyes sparkled in the sky as his cane wobbled from the owner's support.

"Something big is coming?" questioned a Zodiac off in the distant loudly.

The elder man locked eyes with her almost immediately. "I sense a huge being heading our way; fast."

"Could it be the Zodiacs returning?" Excitement filled the crowd as everyone tried to overpower their voice.

"But I thought they were staying at Mortal Castle to overrun the place!"

"Maybe they were unsuccessful!"

Silence.

"They could be bringing back the wounded for us to help!"

"You don't think it's the mortals coming after us!"

There were too many comments overwhelming the whole entire place as Momiji kept his eyes on the sky, wondering as well what was coming after them. The small man was a dog Zodiac, so his keen hearing senses probably detected some sign of breathing or...just some sound that could erupt in the sky. What could possibly be coming after them? It could either be the Zodiacs or the mortals; it was an even out choice. Overrunning a castle didn't have a specific time limit, so technically it was impossible to know if the Zodiacs were heading back home either successful or unsuccessful. And what if, somehow, the mortals managed to defeat the Zodiacs? Could they have known that the Zodiacs were coming and that they planned to attack the warriors early? Were the mortals taking this chance to maybe overrun Zodiac Castle since all the warriors were out of sight?

"I'm so sorry for being a horrible Zodiac!" cried out a voice. Momiji looked over at the person, seeing his long auburn hair dangle in front of his face as the word 'depression' blew out from his eyes. "I, Ritsu, am a shame to the Zodiacs! I can't help if the mortals come after us and then our castle will be overrun with no one to defend but us servants!" He looked down at himself shamelessly. "Even if I'm wearing this kimono proudly, I need to be a man when the mortals come at us even if I am handless with weapons!"

"Ritsu-san, calm yourself down!" a few teen servants rushed over to the sorrowful Zodiac who continued to beat himself with harsh words, hiding himself in a corner between the weapon shack and part of the castle wall.

"Look!"

The whole entire crowd hushed as they looked at the sky, heads wandering all over the place, perplexed. Where? Where is the 'look' figure they should all be looking for? Was it big? Small? How would mortals be flying? That is unless they took control over a dragon Zodiac. But a dragon Zodiac would never let a mortal command them no matter what; they would put death first. Yet again it could possibly be _just _Zodiacs. Both of the same kind couldn't possibly come together; not in history.

Momiji saw it. Something blue was dancing in the sky swiftly. Though it blended in with the bright sky, it shined and sparkled as the dark outline of it helped it stand out.

"A dragon?"

Voices exploded from the crowd as everyone waited, the word patience not even existing as of now. The crowd all started shuffling, but apparently nobody knew where to go. Go outside or stay inside? Momiji tried to remain standing where he was, remembering that dragon on that one night; the night where he and everyone else escaped Mortal Castle. Everything was pitch black except for that dragon's eyes; icy cold blue. Just sitting with the Zodiacs and knowing what was happening around his surroundings... It wasn't an escape; it was a horrendous flee. And now here came the same dragon, coming over to them with elegance.

"Are those people on top of Lord Nukardo?"

Gasps erupted as more people tried to get a perfect view of the dragon.

Momiji cocked a curious head. "People?"

* * *

"So it's real?"

Hatsuharu studied his bangs with a lazy expression, wrapping his ringed finger around a strand of hair. "Yep. Every piece of strand."

Tohru's face was pretty much impressed and amused. "Do all ox Zodiacs have hair like that?"

The ox nodded. "Every single one of them. Well, in a different style."

Yuki watched as Haru glanced over the princess's shoulder, joining his eyes with Yuki. All the rat leader could do was smile as Haru returned the gesture, looking back at Tohru and continuing to socialize with her, a small, genuine grin visible. It was nice that the ox leader was at least trying to mingle with the girl besides leaving her out of the dark.

Lord Yuki looked behind himself, seeing the other Zodiac leaders talking among themselves and not regarding the other three people in front of them. Lord Yuki wasn't exactly close with the remaining three Zodiacs behind him. Remembering the things he heard back in the past—both at Mortal Castle and Zodiac Castle—it was basically 'Lord Yuki likes to be alone,' or 'he's bipolar or something along that.' Yuki never really knew who came up with that, let alone why someone would say that if they didn't _know _that for that a fact. Could it be because of the way he acted? Did Yuki really act as though he didn't want to talk to anyone? Or possibly was it because he was just too...weird...to be talked to? Even if he was a Zodiac, why be labeled as a loner without a choice?

"—you Lord Yuki-kun?"

Yuki had no idea that he was mindlessly staring at the princess as he widened his eyes a bit, trying to knock himself out of his daydreaming habit. "I..." He grinned, embarrassed. "I'm sorry Princess Honda-san. I was lost in thought. What did you say?"

"Oh, it's okay!" Tohru's pleasant smile erased Yuki's pervious thoughts. Was she ever using her magic secretly on him? "I was asking if the entire rat Zodiacs had hair like yours."

"Like mine?" Yuki purposely studied his bangs since they were the only visible strands of hair. "As in color? Yes."

"So basically each Zodiac has their own hair color?"

Yuki scratched his temple. "Pretty much."

"That's so cool!" Just a while ago Tohru was in a quiet mood... "I bet everyone is as beautiful as you then. Do they all have the same eye color as you too?"

The rat leader was a bit taken back as he didn't bother to hide his blush, noticing a quick grin coming from the ox who watched the conversation. "Um..." It was best to knock out that first comment. "Most of the rat Zodiacs have violet eyes, but there are some with different shades close to them."  
"I wonder what I would look like having silver hair and grayish eyes," questioned Tohru to herself. She laughed, "I would probably look like Lord Yuki-kun's sister."

Yuki smiled as a faint cheer was heard from below them. The princess in front of him seemed to hear the same thing as they both attempted to look below their feet, trying not to lean too far since the dragon was still moving. Far off in the distant, a faint castle was visible as a large blue creature settled onto the ground, cheers becoming louder as scatters of ant-like creatures sauntered all over the free ground.

They were home. Well... Yuki was.

When Yuki looked back at Tohru, he noticed a tint of nervousness and fear. "...Princess Tohru-kun?"

She was silent for a moment, which was until she stared into one gray eye of Yuki's. "Is...that Zodiac Castle?"

Yuki nodded calmly. "There are only servants down there; except for the warriors who arrived on the dragon." He saw the ox leader looking at him, amused as he rocked back and forth with the ride. "Um...the castle isn't all that different compared to Mortal Castle." Seriously? "They're...they both have stairs..." And you call yourself a rat leader? "It's...hard explaining."

Tohru created an uncertain smile. "It's okay Lord Yuki-kun. It's just the thought of being around people I don't know. _People who consider me as an enemy; a threat."_

Yuki looked back out into the distant, the gap between him and the castle enclosing. "Well...back at your home, I felt uncertain too."

"A leader like you?" Tohru asked.

Well, what did she mean by 'a leader like you?' "I get scared sometimes." Was it just him, or did he feel like he was talking to his daughter who ran to him because of some kind of thunderstorm? "I felt hated in your home with no one to really communicate with. _But I was aware of a few Zodiacs there so..._ I was around enemies who wanted to kill me and my people. _Which will probably be the same situation as you..._ But..." Now that he thought about it, this wasn't really helping her at all. "Your people treated me like them. It was awkward... _Though Zodiacs have a deeper hatred towards mortals... _I can order the Zodiacs at home to treat you like us."

He saw the reaction Lord Hatsuharu gave him. As of now, Yuki felt so pathetic, but possibly punching the ox leader in the face a couple of times would relieve that tension developing all over his body. What else could he say though? He couldn't exactly promise anything to Tohru because technically, he had no control over Zodiacs who didn't belong to him. He had to confirm an agreement between eleven people that Tohru would be treated as a guest. The only reason why she had came along was so that somehow they could get some clever information regarding the mortals. The job was risky since abandoning people seemed to be the last thing on Tohru's mind, but with time…

But Yuki only wanted her protection in regards to paying back a debt Tohru had given him.

"You think they're going to hate me?"

"_If I can't hate you, then who can? _Give them some time like you did to me and things will be fine." Um... "I promise." What the hell Yuki. That's a promise that's probably not even possible to achieve!

Soon enough the castle was large enough for them to make out the Zodiac faces on the ground, all staring up at the dragon as their smiles and wide, colorful eyes overwhelmed the negatives in the atmosphere. Yuki saw Tohru looking at the people; Zodiacs hugging one another as tons backed away from the gate, giving room for the mighty beast. The blue dragon sauntered inside as a servant walked by his side, holding clothes and other garments in his hands. As the rat leader looked back at Tohru, he noticed her eyes flicker with fear that wasn't even clear to him. And she was watching the blue dragon...

Could it be the night when he and all the other Zodiacs fled? Was she thinking of that? Had she seen Lord Nukardo during the getaway?

The gravity started pushing them down as the red dragon slowly started to land, the crowd trying to get as close as possible without being crushed by the huge claws of the creature. Yuki kept his eyes on the princess at all times, making sure she had a good grasp on the dragon. Hatsuharu seemed to be glued to the dragon as Yuki could imagine Haru waving his hands in the air; almost as if he were riding a roller coaster. Though he had never witnessed a true roller coaster, he heard many stories about them descending as tall as the towers of his home. That they could reach the top speed of an average dragon…

What a strange thought in this kind of situation?

Finally, Yuki slightly felled forward from the pressure as everything felt normal again except for the rush developing inside of the rat leader. The crowd was in close range as the cheers continued to plundered his ears, greetings heard and questions being tossed out that weren't quite eligible to grasp. Everything had stopped moving except for the Zodiacs who waited on the ground. The rat leader looked behind himself, seeing the three other leaders carefully standing up as they traveled down the dragon's tail like a bridge. Yuki stood up from his position as he looked back at Tohru, watching Hatsuharu help her up as she staggered with difficulty. It actually looked...cute.

Immediately, the crowd hushed.

Lord Yuki knew why.

He watched Tohru as she kept her eyes on the dragon's scales, watching her feet and making sure her footage was safe. But not only to prevent herself from a nasty fall, but to ignore the others stare. Yuki couldn't help but smile as he took her hand, leading the way as he carefully led her down the red scaly tail with tiny steps. He didn't feel embarrass or nervous at all. Even though the crowd was muted and all eyes were on the princess, there was just something that prevented him from being scared. Why was that?

"They're quiet," whispered Tohru tensely, not daring to sneak a peek at the Zodiacs who were only twenty steps away from reaching her. The things they can do if they could touch her...manage to stroke a finger through her chocolate hair…

"It's okay." Yuki looked at Haru as he gestured the rat leader to keep moving. "Let's hurry Princess Honda-san."

"Tohru-kun!"

The princess gasped as her head shot up, looking through the crowd as her eyes scanned pass every single being, which was until it landed on a chipper boy who pushed his way through everyone forcefully. The grasp on Yuki's hand disappeared as Tohru brushed passed him without a word, making her way down the tail as though they were regular stairs. Yuki watched as suddenly Tohru and the hyper blond boy, Momiji, collided with one another as a small, purple smoke appeared in thin air. Quickly the smoke faded away as the princess was presented in front of everyone; holding a rabbit in her hand.

She just performed a wicked Houdini.

"Momiji-kun I can't believe you're here!" spoke Tohru, her pitch a bit too high for comfort. "I missed you so much!"

"So they're friends?" Hatsuharu questioned, nodding slowly as though he had undergo some dé jà vu.

"Pretty much." Both the leaders made their way off the dragon as they approached Tohru and the snuggly, small rabbit. Hatsuharu picked up Momiji's clothes that laid near Tohru's feet as Yuki tapped the princess's shoulder lightly.

"I can't believe _you're_ here!" Momiji rubbed his furry little head against Tohru sweetly. "What are you doing here! This is going to be so cool Tohru-kun!"

But before she could answer, Yuki's touch finally brought her out of her trance. "Princess Honda-san we should get you inside for now. It'll be for a little while."

"Oh. Um, right."

It was almost as if the crowd had disappeared from her for that moment. Suddenly reality was back to her as she hung her head with nervousness, realizing that all the Zodiacs were still eying her with curiosity and hatred. From red to green and purple to yellow eyes, they were all penetrating the princess as numerous invisible daggers were being stabbed continuously at her for her existence at an enemies territory. The countless thoughts running through all these Zodiacs; that was something no mortal would want to know; especially Tohru.

* * *

A huge roar of laughter filled the crowded shack, clattering bottles banging against one another like dueling swords, the inside lights flashing through the only single open window and a few cracks within the wooden walls. The sky was pitch black and decorated with nothing but faint mist, the ground appearing as though it were steaming. All but the one single shack was dark; not a tint of light escaping. Shining brightly in the sky was the half cut moon hidden behind a thick layer of smoky clouds. The arid gravel roads were bare from all living things, except for one certain brown headed boy.

Ghanjan sat on a worn out wooden bench that laid against the shack, the window above him as he listened to all the rustling and conversations occurring inside. His breath was off beat; clear smoke escaping his nose and blue lips as it dissolved in the air. He rock steadily back and forth, repeatedly tapping his heel against the ground; fidgeting. Ghanjan fluttered his eyes in frustration with keeping them open, not wanting to give in into the cold weather that loomed over the small village.

He spotted two shadows exiting out of the shack as he took a quick glance at them. A man and a woman were laughing hysterically, a typical type of thing after leaving some place that appeared to be a bar. The man whispered to the woman keenly as she giggled, looking down at Ghanjan for a split second. Immediately her face altered into annoyance and a bit of fright as she pulled the man away from Ghanjan's site, muttering something into his ear as they both turned around to watch the warrior. Ghanjan was staring at them as though he were about to leap up and strike them.

However warrior couldn't care less as he brought his shivering hands towards his mouth, blowing harshly against them as he rubbed them furiously. Just a little longer...

"_So damn cold," _he thought, clenching his teeth as an uncomfortable sensation traveled everywhere in his body. He couldn't enter the shack yet. Well, actually he wasn't planning on entering it tonight nor ever. But...

Right on time, the worn out blanket that dangled in front of the entrance swept open, a woman walking out as she draped a fairly long black cloak around herself, folding her arms and pulling over her hood to cover her dark face. Instead of walking towards Ghanjan's direction, she turned the opposite way and briskly strolled off. Instantly Ghanjan obliged himself into standing up as he endeavor the strength to catch up with the woman, his legs frozen to a point where it felt as though they were break off if he were to take another step.

Ghanjan's voice was icy. "Ka…" He cleared his throat loudly. "Kaxa!"

The figure in front of him paid no heed as she continued onwards, only this time her pace seemed to have quickened. Ghanjan rushed up to the woman until he was keeping the same speed as her, his shivering visible. He tried looking at her, however Kaxa was giving him the cold shoulder as only part of her face was visible due to the hood that covered her facial appearance.

"Kaxa." She still didn't stop. "Kaxa let me explain!"

And then she stopped, still staring ahead of herself. "Explain?" Slowly she cocked her head until she had a good view of the younger boy who appeared all blue as the sky. Not that it bothered her one bit… "What's there to explain?"

"Ka—."

"Tohru-kun is gone. Is there really anything to explain about that?"

Something stabbed Ghanjan's chest. Gone as in kidnapped, or gone as in…

It appeared as though Ghanjan was about to reach out towards the woman, but instead he held back as all he could do was stare at her disbelief. What was there to explain? His intentions were to just apologize to Kaxa and give a brief explanation as to why he let Princess Tohru Honda run off. To top that off, he wanted to discuss with her the possibilities of trying to recruit her back. All he wanted to do was repent his actions and hopefully make himself appear that he wasn't an enemy. His decisions were wrong and it had cost him the person he loved most, but keeping it locked inside of him wasn't helping at all. Kaxa cared too deeply for Tohru…and he knew that she was suffering the same treatment.

Kaxa made a 'hmph' mutter as she continued to stroll along, only to be stopped by Ghanjan's hand that grasped her shoulder firmly. He caught a glimpse of Kaxa's raging black eyes, but that didn't stop him from releasing her. Sure, he was the cause of a missing mortal, but he was not going to be ignored like…a Zodiac or some being that was even far beyond lower then a Zodiac.

"Look, I wanted to say that I'm sorry," spoke Ghanjan easily, hoping that Kaxa wouldn't brush him away now. Even he knew that sorry just wouldn't cut it. "I just figured that…maybe explaining what happened might—."

"Might what?" snapped Kaxa quickly, having property of her own shoulder again. She stared at Ghanjan once again before continuing, softly, "I already know everything. Uo explained the whole story so there's no reason to hear it again."

Ghanjan was a bit struck by Kaxa's calm reply, but he knew there was still abhorrence from her. "She wanted to find you and I had no idea that you were in the front…and she promised me that she would keep her word so... I don't know Kaxa-san…I just figured tha—."

"She's just a _girl_ Kuji!" her voice was rising once again. "Sure, she's sweet and innocent, but do you expect a girl like her to know what she's doing? Tohru tossed herself with that cat leader, the rat leader, that rabbit boy; she never knows what she gets herself into until the last minute you know! She doesn't know the problems it causes! I, Kuji, _I _am the one who watches out for her so that she doesn't become too involved with the wrongs! But with all these distractions in my way I can't be the only one knowing whether what she's doing is right! I feel like her _mother _Kuji! And now she's off with those Zodiacs…"

Ghanjan could see the sparkling tears developing in her black orbs, though anguish and loathe covered her entire face. He couldn't say anything, not after what Kaxa had told her. He felt like he was a big brother to Tohru, only he wished to be _more_. Tohru had presented herself into his life and brought him happiness after being 'reborn.' But being a motherly figure…Kaxa… She was a fiery woman; fiercer then Uotani, and that wasn't a pretty sight to look upon. But she cared too deeply for Tohru, but as in a motherly way? What was Ghanjan to Kaxa now? An enemy who threw her daughter away?

"You've done enough damage Kuji." She quickly wiped her tears with the back of her eyes. "I thought that if Kuji Sanada had returned, things would have been better for all of us. But ever since then, things haven't been going right. Not even the slightest thing. Ghanjan was a weakling, but he _cared _for Tohru-kun and her safety. I thought Kuji would have been the same, but—."

"Would you _stop _calling me Kuji?" Ghanjan backfired, storming up to Kaxa as he waved his arms maniacally. "You might think that I am still him, but I'm not! I'm still Ghanjan for God's sake! When did I ever decided that I wanted to be this Sanada bastard?"

"You did!" Kaxa turned around and walked a few paces around before turning back to Ghanjan, her hood falling off as she towered over the warrior. "When _you _became a warrior again all because you wanted the princess for yourself!"

"You… It wasn't all for her!"

"Why don't you just shut up and drop this, all right?" Again, being the person she was, she spun around once again and tried running away from him. But Ghanjan wasn't the easy type as he stopped her once again, grabbing her cape as she literally almost felled back.

"Not until you let me explain my side of the story!" Kaxa was about to interrupt but Ghanjan was quick enough to cut her off. "I care about her like you do! I know how you are feeling right now becau—!"

"How I feel?" Kaxa gaped at Ghanjan as though he had just told her a deep dark secret. However she only then started laughing, though it wasn't a pleasant laugh. It was dark and forceful. "You say you know how I feel?" She paced herself around again, looking at the sky with a dumbfounded face. "You're saying…" Kaxa pointed her finger at him, waving it slightly as she tried forming the words in her head. "You're saying that I know what it's like to let the most important person in your life go? That I feel repent and sorrow for letting a girl like her get away with a threat like the Zodiacs? Undergoing the feeling that everyone is going to know you because _you _were the one who let her run off? Is that what you're saying?"

Ghanjan shook his head as his eyes buried itself deep within Kaxa. She was overreacting…_way_ overreacting. Ghanjan was horrible about the disappearance of Tohru, but shouting and yelling about her like this wasn't going to help them find her nor bring an understatement. "That's not what I'm saying! She wanted to find _you _Kaxa! If you hadn't just order her to run off with the rest of the crowd to escape, she would still be here with us! You made her worried about your safety Kaxa! Don't put all the blame into me now because you know that if you didn't command her to leave your side while you were casting that barrier than—!"

A loud smack echoed into the ears of Ghanjan as his face burned and stung. "Shut! Up!" Kaxa quickly ordered, her hands shaking crazily as she dug them into her pocket swiftly. "Don't you _dare _tell me what I should be feeling guilty about you cheap, no good rotten…" Her voice grew louder and louder." …_Snake_ licking, dirt eating, ignorant…_dog_ kissing, brainless, hopeless, heartless, _worm_-headed, stack of monkey shit you are!"

And with that, she was finally able to walk away without being interrupted by Ghanjan. "Don't you _ever _bring this subject up again," she silently said.

It might have been wrong to think of it now, but Ghanjan couldn't decide whether or not to laugh at the names Kaxa had called him. She was seriously angry about the situation everyone was in right now. But the way she said it; snake licking, dog kissing, monkey shit... Sure, it was funny, but it made him appear as though he were on the Zodiacs side. It wasn't as if Ghanjan had literally wrapped the princess up, tossed a huge bow on top of her head and delivered her to the Zodiacs like Santa Clause. And the more he thought about what Kaxa had called him, the more pathetic he felt. The more he remembered, the more sorrow, regrets, repents…

"_Is this how everyone is going to react to me?" _Ghanjan just stood in the same place, watching Kaxa walk away with stiff shoulders. "_I didn't mean to just let her run off… She said she'd keep her words. She has never lied to me…_" Something wet was trickling down his cheek. He tightl shut his eyes and clenched his fist as he started walking, no destination set in his mind. "Who am I kidding… She's Tohru-kun."

He was wrong for blaming Kaxa. She was right. She couldn't protect Tohru all by herself. She needed others to keep an eye on the princess by all means. When did Ghanjan ever save Tohru? He had only brought her closer to danger; at least, that's all he remembered. Was he too reliable on other people to watch her while instead he enjoyed his moments with her? Spending time with Tohru without even regarding her safety… Some kind of warrior he was. Some kind of _friend _he was.

* * *

**Zodiac Castle**

With Lord Yuki, Lord Hatsuharu and Momiji by her sides, Tohru leisurely roamed the fist hallway of the Zodiac Castle, ignoring the Zodiacs who were trying their hardest not to ogle into the eyes of the mortal. The princess. The _enemy_. Earlier, Tohru had followed Yuki around the castle into his workplace where he momentarily sat at his desk, jotting down some notes. Tohru had waited patiently by sitting on a chair near Yuki, looking around the place as she pretended to occupy herself with whatever was in front of her. There wasn't anything unique about the office.

Tohru was expecting him to show her where she would, but instead here they were, just strolling through the halls casually like every day people. Momiji continued to chirp at Tohru, thousands of issues piling out of the boy's mouth. Tohru replied modestly, hoping that her longtime friend would take her mind out of the difficult thoughts that remained incarcerated in her head, such as a random Zodiac trapping her alone in this castle…this _huge _castle.

"Open the gates! Open the gates!"

Tohru frantically searched her surroundings after that holler, watching all the Zodiacs stop their doing as they bristled along the corridors. The sound of the front door being opened was heard by Tohru and the rest of her 'body guards' that stood by her side, also taking in the sight. What was going on? Why open the gates? Had…the Zodiacs from her home returned? Had they come for _her_? But why so soon? She had just arrived here only about an hour ago! What were they going to do to her?

"Lord Hatori! He's back!" another cry reported.

"Ah…" Lord Hatsuharu started to lead the way, looking behind himself at Yuki. "Might be a good idea to follow."

"_Lord Hatori?" _thought Tohru as she felt her arm being pulled by Momiji, Yuki following close behind. She looked down at Momiji for a brief moment before trying to make eye contact with the rat leader. "Who's Lord Hatori?" she curiously asked.

"That's nothing to worry about." Yuki paused for a moment before leaning towards the sapphire eye girl, the movement of his smile tickling Tohru's ear. "I'm pretty sure Lord Kyo is with him, so we're just going to go and greet him properly."

Before Tohru could even react, Momiji interrupted by tugging Tohru's arm once again. "Hurry up Tohru-kun! Lord Hatsuharu is beating us!"

Tohru didn't say a single word as she let herself be pulled by the fanatical boy, her eyes wandering everywhere as she tried focusing them on Lord Hatsuharu's back; a spot that wasn't moving rowdily. Kyo-kun was here? Here in flesh in mind, body and soul? The almighty cat leader who she had gotten to know during his 'captivity?' With four months already gone by… Why was she so overwhelmed by his presence? He was, after all, a wonderful friend who had…_escaped _her home. But he just wanted to go home to his people and be in a place where he was comfortable. Kyo just wanted things to go back to normal…just like what Tohru wanted. Kyo didn't make it seem like he wanted to go back…

But…that one night where he escaped.

Tohru was flung outside as a huge, forest green dragon approached her eyes all of the sudden, knocking the wind out of her. Golden sun eyes pierced against Tohru as her whole entire figure tensed, a sense of authenticity rushing back into her as her body continued to move throughout the crowd. This was the same dragon that attacked her that one time when she was healing Kyo's wound. It was still a clear memory for her; when she approached her bedroom balcony and saw that dragon floating with grace… It was a pretty sight, that was until it attacked her. If it weren't for Kyo saving her, she probably wouldn't even be here staring at this dragon now.

And then that one time when all the trapped Zodiacs started to make their break out… This dragon had been circulating around her home, pulling down Kaxa's barrier and creating some kind of scent that caused everyone to fall into a deadly sleep. Tohru had caught the yellow eyes of the dragon and soon after, the last thing she ever saw was Kyo who…

"Come on Tohru-kun!"

…Kissed her. Up until now, Tohru had entirely forgotten about Kyo's actions on that hour of darkness. It was fast and brief, but that memory was so ordinary to her now. Before Kyo escaped and before Tohru fell to the ground from exhaustion, Kyo had suddenly jolted up to her and kissed her before she found herself in her room once again; daylight breaking in. With the fact that the Zodiacs were gone and that her bracelet had gone missing on that night, the memory with Kyo on that balcony was long…_forgotten_. But now it all came rushing to her. _Why _had he done something like that in the first place? Possibly a kiss on the forehead or cheek would have been nice but… It wasn't like Kyo. What were his intentions?

"Jekou-kun!"

Tohru jerked and looked up at the green dragon, only to recognize a pair of familiar glass green orbs; the yellow iris glancing at everybody as again the cheering formed just like earlier. Tohru was at lost. Jekou-kun was here? Was he possibly also taken as a prisoner? But wait… Jekou was reported missing after all the Zodiacs fleeted that night. So there was a good chance that he wasn't a prisoner… Maybe Jekou was hidden by the Zodiacs back at her home for some reason where nobody would find him during that night. But why would the Zodiacs do that? Or maybe…

No. He couldn't _possibly _be a Zodiac himself. But Jekou…

Before Tohru could shout out to her old friend, her whole body froze on the spot. Her heart was now held captive by an imperceptible hand; stopping her breath and thoughts as she watched an orange head boy make his way down the green dragon, a bored expression on his face as he lazily lingered onwards with his hands in his pockets. There were a few shouts of 'cat leader!' and 'welcome back!' coming from certain sections of the crowd.

It was him. "…Kyo-kun," Tohru whispered silently.

"Lord Kyo!"

Tohru watched Kyo take his first step onto the green grass, but was immediately trampled by a beautiful brown headed girl. She dived straight at the cat leader and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him to death as Kyo shouted at her angrily, trying to force her off. He heard him shout the name 'Kagura' at least ten times before he was free from her grasp. Supposedly that was the brown headed girl's name. A strange disturbance formed throughout Tohru as the girl, Kagura, once again attacked Lord Kyo. Finally, the cat leader was able to throw her off as he forcefully ordered her to stay away. But all she did was walked by his side with a proud smile, her arm pleasantly brushing against his.

"_Kyo-kun…_Ky…Kyo-kun!" Tohru released her grip against Momiji's hand as she squeezed herself between the small groups of people in front of her. She wasn't far from the cat leader as he continued to walk towards the back of the crowd, Kagura following by his side proudly as a few random Zodiacs joined, questioning numerous subjects. "Kyo-kun!"

Finally, Kyo turned around gracefully with his hands still in his pockets, his crimson eyes catching Tohru's. Tohru was struggling with what to do and what to say and how to react to the sights of him. She brought out her small arms, attempting to drape them around Kyo just like the girl besides him did before. It had been four months since she's seen Kyo and now she was only a few feet away…A few feet away from being together with her long time friend who had saved her several times…

Kagura, who was once besides Kyo's side, quickly stepped in front of him, preventing Tohru from passing. She held an arm out in front of her, her delicate hand a few inches away from Tohru's chest as the princess continued to breathe quite harshly from the excitement and revelation…

"You dare speak Kyo-kun's name?" questioned Kagura strictly, stabbing her gaze into Tohru. The ferocity that exploded from her was startling.

Princess Tohru's smile was wide; truthful. She gazed at Kyo for what seemed like forever until she spoke again, "Ky—."

"What the _hell_?" The cat leader straight away stepped back as he stared at the princess, his eyes filled with revelation, disbelief and…fury? "What the hell is going on?" he shouted, still backing away. Kyo looked around himself hastily, searching for an answer by someone. "How come no one is going after her?"

"_What?" _thought Tohru. Kagura was still looking at her sternly, not moving from her spot.

Jekou had walked towards Kyo, placing a steady hand on his shoulder as he lightly gripped it. "Lord Akito ordered her incarceration here, Lord Kyo."

Kyo was still staring at Tohru with incredulity, not believing what was going on. He didn't keep his blood shot eyes away from her. "What's so special about _her_?"

Again, Jekou answered his question. "She's the princess of Mortal Castle." He leaned in and whispered something into Kyo's ear, only to see Kyo's eyes flinch. What in the world was going on? What was with Kyo's…callous greeting? Did he not recognize her? Did he not remember the princess he had stayed with for half a year? Did four months really get the best out of him?

Yuki managed to rush up to Tohru as Momiji followed behind, grasping her arm. Kyo continued to stare into the eyes of Tohru, studying every single detail of her. His eyes glanced at Yuki who remained by the princess's side. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Lord Kyo looked away and turned his back against her. Again, the crowd around them started to chat once again. "Well, she has nothing to do with me." With that saying, Kagura hurriedly lowered her hand from Tohru and rushed by the cat leader's side with a bright smile.

For a moment, Tohru was struck, but then cried out once again without thinking, "Kyo-kun wait!"

Kyo spun his head around as a few Zodiacs within the crowd hissed with pure loathe. Everyone was glaring at the princess, but that wasn't bothering Tohru. What bothered her was the way Kyo had sharpened his eyes only for her, Kagura grinning crudely by his side. He then snapped, "_Don't _call me Kyo-kun you filthy mortal. I don't need to waste my time with a silly prisoner such as you."

* * *

I seriously hated how I ended this. I wanted to make it different but this was the only way I can put it. Like…there was more I wanted to do, yet I just didn't know how. Have you ever gotten that feeling? Where you know that in one scene, you could write tons of things, but somehow you just can't? It's a complicated topic to deal with but…there's your chapter! I hope making it long summed up my half year absence…yep… Well…I'm going to try hard to work on chapter 10 as much as possible! Please continue to follow along, but if you can't handle the time I take to write, then its okay. Until next time!


	10. Close the Eyes

Here I am writing chapter 10! I swear I'm on a roll haha. Though it appears as though everybody has forgotten this story, I'm all right with that I suppose… Just as long as people are still not giving up on me, it's all good. I would have written this chapter sooner, but I was busy rewriting chapter 3 for the first part of this story (it's slightly different, but it all leads to the same ending). So check it out new and old readers if you like! Plus there's school and of course, the laziness… And here is chapter 10! By the way!!! ANY AVENGED SEVENFOLD FANS OUT THERE: head banging to "Critical Acclaim" has to be the greatest thing in the world. If you guys have not heard that song, go on my myspace profile (which would be located on my fanfiction profile!) and listen! Trust me; it's amazing and the lyrics about politics and such are so true. All right random moment, but I'm an obsess fan with A7X even though I look like one of those country prep girls ). Enjoy the chapter everyone!

* * *

**Chapter 10 "****Close the Eyes****"**

_"__Don't __call me Kyo-kun you filthy mortal. I don't need to waste my time with a silly prisoner such as you."_

Something struck the rat leader as he watched the orange head boy turn his back against them all, walking by Kagura's side in an elegant yet sturdy motion. Straight away Yuki couldn't prevent himself from looking down at the princess. The look on her face was…like a nightmare gone terribly, _terribly _wrong. He couldn't tell what laid behind those glassy blue orbs. Tohru didn't have the slightest smile or the tiniest frown. It was like…she was having a vision; her body formed as a statue. Was she having a vision?

Her lips suddenly parted. "Did…I do something wrong?" Tohru asked herself, not minding the Zodiacs who surrounded her.

Fury enraged the rat leader. Just…pure fury. He looked at Momiji out of the corner of his eyes, unable to remove his gaze from the cat leader. "Momiji-kun, do you mind bringing Princess Honda-san to my office along with Lord Haru?"

Momiji didn't have to ask for a reason as he nodded; half a frown on his features explained everything. He pulled Tohru along with him as she gave in, stepping away from Yuki. At first Tohru was a bit stunned by Momiji's sudden actions, but didn't resist as she took a couple of glances over her shoulder, only seeing Kyo walking off into the distant and Yuki's attention towards her. More and more Zodiacs started getting in the way of her image, and eventually the gap that was open suddenly closed up.

Once Tohru was gone from the picture, Yuki sharpened his eyes at the cat leader and swiftly marched up to Kyo, quietly ordering any other Zodiacs who got in his way to step aside. A few of them eyed Yuki suspiciously yet worriedly, knowing that something was wrong. Lastly, Yuki was able to catch up with Kyo as he harshly grabbed his arm, pulling the hot headed boy straight towards him. This was exactly like earlier today… It was so awkward. It was only a few hours ago since he had last spoken with Kyo at Mortal Castle. Why did it seem like days? Was it because Kyo was acting completely different? Different as in not concern about the princess _and _not using better words that were right for a complicated situation such as now?

"Lord Yuki?" questioned Kagura perplexed; however there was a tint of irritation escaping. Supposedly she wanted her alone time with Kyo and she wasn't going to hide it.

"What do you think you're doing?" ordered Yuki sternly, giving another tug on Kyo's arm.

"What?" Kyo pulled his arm away unsympathetically, giving Yuki a disgusting look. "What do _you_ want?"

_"Why is he such a stubborn__, stupid__…_What was that back there?" Yuki back waved his hand towards the Zodiac crowd who finally started to mind their own business, a few shuffling around to get back inside the castle. However, a few remaining ears who had nothing else to do paid close heed. "Did you forget who you were talking to a while ago?"

"What the hell are you _talking _about?" questioned Kyo stupidly, making an attempt to walk away. However Yuki merely followed without a thought.

The rat leader glanced at Kagura before asking, "May you give us some privacy please Lady Kagura? It'll be quick."

Kagura struggled with her decision before giving a disappointed smile at Yuki, nodding her head as she stole a few glimpses at Kyo. She walked away with a pouted face, not trying to hide the fact that she clearly didn't want to walk away from the two of the leaders, especially the fiery cat. The violent aura they gave off was quite deadly to her however.

Yuki waited for her departure before turning his eyes back on the cat leader who still continued to walk away. He leaned closer to the cat leader, disgusted by Kyo's face, but he couldn't risk everybody around them listening to their discussion. This was a personal situation that had gone completely wrong. "I'm talking about Princess Honda-san!" he hissed.

"That mortal girl?" queried Kyo, looking even more sickened then his closeness with the rat leader.

"Kyo you can stop with the act!" whispered Yuki callously, grasping Kyo's arm once again as he dragged him along, trying to get away from the crowd. Kyo's cursing didn't bother Yuki one bit. "Making it appear as though you don't know Princess Honda-san is excusable, but not how you responded to her earlier! Did you see her face?"

"Making it appear?" Kyo spread an arm away from his body, gesturing that everything was _his _fault in a sarcastic way. "I don't even know that girl!"

"What the hell are _you _talking about?" mimicked Yuki, continuing to drag him away to a quiet place. However, it seemed that in every corner of this territory, a Zodiac was around; in human form or Zodiac form. "Kyo, Princess Honda-san is seriously confused. You can't possibly feel anything after what you've done."

"Oh, yes I can!" The cat leader was swift enough to release Yuki's grasp as he aimed head on towards Yuki, his fist clenched with excitement for another skirmish. Unfortunately, the rat leader was too fast to undergo Kyo's attack. The cat leader's eyes were on fire as he lazily stood up straight, glaring at Yuki through his half shut eyelids with his head held high towards the sky. "Lord Akito told me a lot about you during the past six months or whatever; falling head over heels for the princess of Mortal Castle while being imprisoned." He looked away, appalled. "How sickening. You seriously are stupid no matter how you put it nor how much you deny it."

Yuki was attempting to whack the hell out of the cat leader, but there was something that seriously bothered him. Why did Kyo's expression and tone make it seem as though…he were telling the truth? But that couldn't be. Kyo had met Tohru before Yuki came into the picture almost a year ago! The history that happened between the cat leader and the princess before his existence came along; all was unaware to Yuki. But with the amount of time he was in enemies ground, it was a clear portrait that Kyo had formed an impossible 'bond' towards the girl. But now… What in the world was Kyo doing? Yuki had _no _desired feelings for Tohru. It was only an act of protection; an act of helping a friend. Why point fingers at someone else when it was clearly Kyo's fault?

"He told me to let you be," grumbled Kyo, crossing his arms. "I don't know what the hell he's thinking! Maybe he thinks he can get through her and discover some kind of weakness against the enemies…" It was obvious that Kyo was talking to himself. He glanced at Yuki and spoke, "But whatever; it's none of my business. You are just one foolish Zodiac to fall for a mere, weak mortal. And I thought getting capture was the worst you can do. Just because I spoke my mind out to your girlfriend doesn't mean I have to apologize. So get away from my sights you damn rat!"

It wasn't the fact that he was angry about what Kyo had accused him of doing… "Kyo!"

"Lord Yuki wait!"

Yuki spun around and saw a dark brown headed boy running after them; however his eyes were stuck on Kyo. Jekou ran up to Kyo and muttered something to him that Yuki couldn't make out. Kyo and Jekou continued to exchange words and no matter how much the rat leader wanted to snoop in, he just couldn't. Suddenly Kyo eyed Lord Yuki, a small smirk on his face before turning around, strolling away.

Yuki was prevented from reaching Kyo as Jekou merely wrapped a single arm around Yuki's shoulder, pulling him into the opposite direction. "Forget about him," muttered Jekou. He wasn't asking Yuki; he was ordering him. "We need to talk."

* * *

_"__Don't __call me Kyo-kun you filthy mortal. I don't need to waste my time with a silly prisoner such as you."_

Tohru sat quietly in Yuki's office, adjusting herself into the large chair in front of her desk. There were a few piles of papers stacked upon the oak wooden desk, but Tohru paid no heed to it. It wasn't like her to be nosy, though it would have been a nice chance to possibly study a few things about the Zodiacs for the benefit of her people. Lord Yuki and Momiji were her friends, yes, but the rest of the Zodiacs…they were enemies. They were people who her people wanted off the planet for good. The Zodiacs thought of her and the rest of her kind as the same.

Even Lord Kyo…right?

_"I must have done something," _thought Tohru, glancing up from her shivering hands. The fear engulfing her wasn't just because of Lord Kyo, but because of the fact that she was completely surrounded by hatred. _"Maybe coming here made him mad."_

But why wouldn't he be mad? Why shouldn't Tohru feel guilty? Why couldn't she had stayed back at Mortal Castle and died proudly. Did…Kaxa go through the same treatment? Was she really left behind? Did Tohru's barrier block out Kaxa? Kaxa, knowing how powerful her abilities were, could easily break the barrier and free herself into safe grounds, right? Or…were the Zodiacs able to find her or capture her while her attempts slowly fell down the drain? Were they questioning her? Did Kaxa know that Tohru was kept at Zodiac Castle? Maybe Tohru was bait? Telling Kaxa that the Princess of Mortal Castle was locked away at Zodiac Castle; the Zodiacs could order Kaxa anything if she wanted to retrieve Tohru.

Tohru steadied her eyes against a corner of the desk in front of her. _"Please don't come after me Kaxa-san. It would cause too much trouble."_After all, she was just one person.

"I wonder how long Yuki expects us to wait in here," mumbled Haru, boredom overwhelming him as he continued to stand in front of the entrance, eyeing the door.

Tohru's heart made a sudden skip since the room had been dead silent for almost half an hour. "You-you don't need to stay Lord Hatsuharu-san…_ That felt really awkward to say…_I'll stay here! Honestly!"

Haru merely shook his head. "Yuki probably wouldn't like that…" Something sparked in the ox's eyes as he ever so kindly look over his shoulder. He grinned at the princess, making his way over to her and leaning over the desk. Haru glued his elbows on top of the wooden counter, resting his sharp chin against the palm of his hand. As he looked through his snowy bangs, he spoke casually, "..because dear Yuki has a little fond towards you in case you haven't notice."

Tohru furrowed her brows in confusion. Well, that was a random comment to say. At least it somewhat brought the room life. Why?

Haru looked away with a cunning smile, almost as if he were trying to prevent a chuckle from escaping. "You probably are clueless with that…" He looked over his shoulder, noticing Momiji sleeping quietly on a chair as he rested his shoulder against the wall. "I'm not certain about _you _Princess Honda-san, but with all due respect, the likes of you with Yuki does not torture me."

What was there to say? "I'm…I'm glad!" Tohru tried giving a truthful smile, but the thought of these other Zodiacs around her…the thoughts they had about her…the thoughts they had about what they wanted to _do _with her… _"Does Lord Hatsuharu-san want to accept people like me? He has been a really nice person since I've met him, but it might just be an act. Maybe he's luring me into something I shouldn't be near."_It was just too confusing! Making assumptions about people was definitely a no no for Tohru.

Hatsuharu stared at her for a moment. "You do understand what I'm saying, right?"

Basically…not at all. Tohru tried to hide her blush from embarrassment. "I think so…" But she just couldn't go out saying, 'I want to be your friend even if you are a Zodiac!' That would just be too forward, especially when the two of them were clearly enemies. Things like that weren't necessarily easy. The situation dealing with Momiji and Lord Yuki were completely different…right? "Maybe I don't understand…"

Haru couldn't help but chuckle at the silliness of the girl. Tohru didn't mean to say that out loud. "It's written all over your face sadly." Haru patted Tohru's head. Just the touch of his powerful hands made Tohru shiver. "Yuki always denies the truth that he's about to approach soon. Of course, who in their right mind would want to combine two opposites?" Hatsuharu was still staring at Tohru, but the way he spoke clearly showed that he was talking to himself. "Though such problems could lead to conclusions…yet a succession requires consequences and possibly return to having problems once again. But of course, Yuki would know how far someone would need to go before trouble stirs." Again, a flash shimmered in his eyes. "Or maybe not since he's the one who got himself in this position."

This time, Haru was really looking at Tohru. But what was she suppose to say to that? Whatever it was, it seemed that Lord Yuki was under some kind of dilemma that she was completely unaware of. "Is Lord Yuki-kun all right?"

Haru just shrugged "I don't know. You tell me; what's your relationship with Yuki princess?"

* * *

Yuki wanted to say many things; yes. But for some reason he couldn't speak a single word as Jekou continued to walk in front of him. He had released the cat leader once entering inside the castle, but silently hissed that Yuki should follow him. Though the rat leader was concern about the princess's captivity with Haru—of course, Yuki trusted Haru more than ever. What concerned him was Tohru's reactions and comfort around him—Yuki found Jekou's saying to be quite interesting and imperative. So as of now, Tohru would have to deal with Haru and try to find peace. Besides, Momiji was with them. Sadly to say, the thought of having Momiji around the two of them brought him relief. Momiji wasn't the type of person to cause nuisance and trouble.

"Today went by so fast," muttered Jekou, not bothering to turn around to see if Yuki remained behind him. They strolled silently through the deserted gray marble hallway, portraits of magnificent, beautiful people hanging on the walls. "The thought about sleeping just excites me."

Well, didn't he sound excited?

"What's going on Jekou?"

For the first time, Jekou managed to eye Yuki. "Not here Lord Yuki."

That was enough to keep the rat leader silent as they approached the back door, leading into the training field. The sky was on fire as shadows portrayed every object on ground. The white pebbles scattered all over the entire ground were painted with bright shades of the sky; the same with the bonsai plants that formed a unique road around the place. Another outside hallway was visible across from them; large, thick marble pillars supporting the roof. It wasn't that often that Yuki had been out here. The last time he had been out here was during the plans for taking over Mortal Castle and overhearing Lord Shigure and Lady Rin speaking that one night…

Jekou checked his surroundings, his brilliant green eyes covering every border. His pupils were now a bright brown for some apparent reason. What happened to the shiny yellow pupil he used to have? Such strange eyes… Even for a Zodiac. "We got to make this quick, all right Lord Yuki?"

Something zoomed into Yuki's mind. "You don't have to refer to me as Lord you know."

"It would be wise to do so," he spoke softly as he sat on one of the curved boulders, his elbows lying against his knees. Yuki followed his actions as he sat as well; looking around himself to make sure that surely no one was around to spy on them. Of course they were all Zodiacs, but Yuki just had this intention that he was somehow a traitor…

"By the way," said Jekou quite loudly. "I haven't spoken with you since you left that one time. Remember, the whole situation with Lord Ayame and your army?"

Yuki raised a curious brow. Oh. _That _day. Well…that was something. Marching with his big brother, his army taking the snake's side; don't they know that snakes eat rats? Maybe that was the reason why his brother always 'attacked' him with his 'love and whatnot.'

Why did it seem like he was referring to Kyo and Kagura? "I remember that," replied Yuki a bit carefully. What did he want to know about that?

"Well I heard that…" Jekou leaned in swiftly. "…you released a prisoner? Wait, let me say that again. You took a prisoner _out_ of the cellars and let him saunter freely around the castle?" His entire forehead was wrinkled.

Yuki had completely forgotten about Manabe, the mortal prison whom Yuki had released shortly after returning to his home. Soon after Yuki started to become acquaintances with the mortal, Lord Akito had surprised them both by speaking with them in public, not minding about the rest of the Zodiacs watching them. Lord Akito didn't seem that angry and such, but his eyes were only concentrating on Yuki and no one else. It was almost as if staring into the eyes of the prisoner would shatter every single bone in his body. But pretty much by the end of the run in, Yuki was only warned with the fact that the presence of Manabe and _any _mortal was too…revolting to even think about. So instead, Manabe was not allowed to roam around the castle as he pleased. Besides, it was safer if he remained in the cellars rather than walking in public. But if Lord Yuki wished for this mortal to remain out of the cellars, then be it. He had his own reasons.

"He was accompanied by me," added Yuki, crossing his legs. He wanted to say more, but what was there to say about freeing a mortal? Of course, Yuki didn't let Manabe escape the castle; good heavens no. He would have literally been a crazy man to attempt something such as that. Partaking in an act such as that was definitely traitorous. But he had to hide Manabe from everyone. However with the thought of that, Yuki continued to feel the thought of being a deserter who didn't exactly know which way to go. He—

"Still, it kind of makes me laugh," commented Jekou with a grin. "Did Mortal Castle leave a big impact on you?"

The rat leader was silent for a moment as the fire sky started to settle into pitch blackness. He tried to keep his eyes on Jekou, but they always settled on his own moonlight bangs. "I'm not sure…" But before Yuki could think anymore about what was running through his mind, he was finally able to look straight at the brown headed boy. "Jekou-kun, I didn't follow you to talk about this." Pause. He didn't want to talk about it. "…Or was this what you wanted to talk about?"

Jekou seemed a bit puzzled. "Do you not want a simple conversation?" He pulled back and scratched his temple. "I'm pretty sure you're stressed with today; expecting answers with this and that. Why not settle down for tonight and take a break or something?"

Yuki's eyes softened with depression. "It's not that easy. It's like…once something is on my mind, it won't find a way out until I open a door for it. The answers are my doors." He glanced at Jekou. "You understand? The questions will just continue to pound against that door and I'm not able to answer it."

"I suppose we have those moments."

The two of them were left in silence. Whatever was running through Yuki's mind; he had no idea. How did Jekou appear so calm and collected like this? Basically, Yuki was becoming more and more desperate. Was Jekou really wasting his time? Did he just randomly pull Yuki away because he didn't want a quarrel to start between the two rivals? There had to be some things running through Jekou's mind. It was almost as if Jekou didn't really care about solving the problems that were in his head. Unlike Yuki. All of these questions and curiosity planted inside the rat's mind; it was unbearable. Answers for this and answers for that; it was like someone was slowly picking at your brain, removing a piece of a puzzle that wants to be completed. Yuki could never just…_stop _his thoughts. They never stop. It was hard to sit down and just enjoy what you know and have now besides expecting more and more.

It was just something he was use to.

_"I can't be like Jekou. _I just figured that…" He looked around himself. The place was much darker with only a bit of sunlight hiding behind a tower. "…you knew something about Kyo that I didn't, that's all."

"I do."

Excitement or relief didn't necessarily sink inside Yuki. He merely stared at Jekou, waiting for whatever he had to say. Goodness. The rat leader was terribly tired. Yet again, who was the one that flew everyone back to Zodiac Castle? Well, the boy sitting right in front of him of course.

It seemed like Jekou was lost with words as he gazed at Yuki with his empty glass eyes. "I'm not allow to tell you Lord Yuki," he spoke. The rat leader didn't even catch the dragon's lips moving. "This is secret planned to be hushed from everyone no matter what excuses are made."

All of Yuki's hopes fell. "So…you aren't going to tell me then?"

"Oh no, I am going to tell you." Jekou patted Yuki's shoulder lightly for reassurance. "There were many things back at Mortal Castle that I owed you. I suppose this could be my start. It's just…I'm warning you right now. We can't let this get around the castle."

_"Is it that bad?" _Yuki was completely lost. Kyo's behavior earlier was awkward and startling. Surely it could have been an act for all he knew, but still the continuation of his hatred for the girl even after she had left; even when Kyo and Yuki were alone, the acting was still in play. There was no reason to continue on with his loathing. But maybe the cat leader was frustrated that the princess was in his home; where she was vulnerable towards everyone. Was he worried about her? Was he worried about her safety? The cat leader couldn't possibly be with her all the time and defending her every second was out of the picture. But Kyo wouldn't snap at her just because of being concern...

"Princess Honda-san?" Yuki asked. Both he and Jekou were locking eyes. "Is she not allowed to know?"

"Lord Akito told me not to…"

"I just figured that it would make things easier for Princess Honda-san if she knew what was going on. Leaving her mind blank would just consume her completely until she finds out." But what was he thinking? Yuki was basically talking about himself! With no answers, that meant continuous banging against that unanswered door. However the rat leader didn't want to leave Tohru in the dark.

"I was going to tell her Lord Yuki," said Jekou. "But you interrupted me so fast." He ruffled back some hair. "Actually, would you mind telling her? I rather leave her alone for a while because well, you know, if someone found me zooming up to the princess right now, you would think they would report it to Lord Akito, thus he would suspect me of disobeying his orders."

"You have a point." Lord Yuki had to give props towards Jekou. Knowing Lord Akito, he would think that Yuki didn't care about the strange relationship between the cat and the princess. But unfortunately…

"Well?" By this time, the whole scenery was pitch black. "Are you going to keep your word?"

The rat leader quickly nodded. A sudden urge to just see the princess conquered his every nerve.

"No one is allowed to know except you and the princess like we said." Jekou laughed for a moment. "How did it take us this long to discuss this?"

Yuki couldn't help but make a grin. Letting time pass away so easily was so simple… Time would seem to go by so slow, but eventually time just suddenly speeds up without a warning.

"About Lord Kyo…" Thunderous footsteps sped through the hallway behind them unexpectedly as Jekou quickly shut his lips. Once the steps faded away, Jekou continued. "You know, his reaction to the princess and whatever he told you earlier… I only pulled you away once I noticed Kyo getting pissed off. I mean, ever since Mortal Castle the fury between you two settled ever so slightly, but it was noticeable. And now just earlier everything had just started from the beginning."

But wait a second… Why should Yuki get so fed up with Kyo? Was it any of his business to explain why Kyo and Tohru should 'make up' as he so puts it? The two of them were suppose to be rivals; that was a fact Yuki had to remember. But it was like…rivalry didn't matter between the two of them; rivalry wasn't _right _for them. And saying that about Kyo was almost as crazy as holding your breath for a day. What was the reason that Yuki wanted those two to get along again? He wasn't looking out for Kyo. Of course, he was looking out for Tohru's happiness. But did her happiness really rely on the cat leader? How could he not be sure that possibly her people was the key to her happiness? Maybe her home was her happiness? Why did Yuki relate everything about Tohru to Kyo?

_"Dammit not again," _thought Yuki, feeling like hitting himself straight in the face. More knocks were attacking the unanswered doors in Yuki's head. "Princess Honda-san is like a sister…I guess. And with Lord Kyo pushing her aside like that earlier, it just makes me upset. It's not pleasing when someone hurts someone you love…" Something about that sentence made Yuki a bit uncomfortable as he tried to cough it aside. "But um, what also bothers me is what Lord Kyo had told me. With the fact that he does not know neither the princess nor that he was a prisoner in Mortal Castle. He also makes it seem like that _I _have feelings for Princess Honda-san."

"Don't you?"

Yuki felt an immediate urge to blush so that all the hotness inside of him would splattered everywhere, but he held it in. "Only in a brotherly way, yes. She saved my life, I saved hers. Princess Honda-san has taken care of me and I'm only trying to return the favor."

A bit of uncertainty covered Jekou's face. "Go on with that relationship if you like Lord Yuki, but let me tell you right now; she and Lord Kyo will only be 'friends' if Lord Kyo ever finds a reason to speak with her. Though a 'love' relationship sounds comforting for them _and _for us for some reason, it's not going to happen."

Is that what Yuki thought of the cat leader and the princess? Love? "I'm not necessarily concern that you are saying that they won't ever be 'together,' but of what Lord Kyo had told me earlier." Yuki's eyes sharpened for a moment, but then he continued. "He made it seem like _I _was him back in Mortal Castle. Being captured, being close with Princess Honda-san, and a lot of other things that Lord Akito had told him. It's almost as if Kyo's mind…"

That was it. That had to be it. There was no other explanation. With the way Jekou was acting all serious and whatnot, what other possibilities could there be? Why would Kyo act so cold and clueless? Why wouldn't he admit that he was kept as a prisoner in Mortal Castle for half a year? Or why would he brush Tohru away with ease, not having the slightest regrets? The slightest _twitch _for a fake act?

Supposedly, the sudden pause from Yuki triggered Jekou to speak. "Did you figure it out yet?"

A little taken aback, Yuki nodded. For a second Yuki had to let the fact sweep inside of him. "Is Lord Akito…allowed to command Kyo's memory to be suppressed? Let alone _any _Zodiac?" Is that even possible?

Jekou massaged the back of his neck soothingly. "I don't know anything nowadays Lord Yuki," spoke Jekou. "It's the curse. But there's nothing we can do about it. Lord Kyo doesn't remember anything that has happened from the day during that battle where he was captured until now. At least that's what Lord Akito told me."

"But he's the cat leader," Yuki said swiftly. "Someone's bound to ask him _something _about his imprisonment, don't you think? Why bother to keep it a secret when everyone knows about his past?"

Jekou shrugged. "That's what I was thinking, but I wasn't going to ask Lord Akito." He listened to the crickets echoing near the bushes. "He told me everything he was planning while we were still at Mortal Castle; before Kyo had his memories suppress. Before you left to return back here, Lord Akito had asked Lord Kyo for his assistance for a while. He told me you were with the cat leader during that time, correct?"

_"So that's why Kyo didn't come back with all of us. And with Lord Hatori's absence… _And Lord Hatori…"

"What choice did he had? He couldn't disobey Lord Akito you know. I haven't spoken with him since we have arrived here. Knowing him, he's probably regretting everything he did right now; suppressing his own kind. Doing so to a mortal wouldn't necessarily inflict any harm, but this is completely different. But enough about this Lord Yuki." Jekou stood up briskly, making the rat leader jump. "I don't want to talk about this now. I think it's best if we let a day or two pass by before we meet up again, just because…"

Yuki mimicked Jekou's movements, brushing away his bangs. "…I understand. But…what's going to happen with Kyo?"

The dragon sighed. He sure did appear exhausted, but he was extremely talkative. "Like I said, it's a sudden thing Lord Akito commanded. Truthfully I don't even think he knows what's going to happen. I guess…he just doesn't like the princess's company around Lord Kyo."

There was so much Yuki wanted to know; wanted to say. But Jekou was right. They would have to talk some other day. Any eavesdroppers or such were wide open now. Yuki couldn't take any chances about others discovering Kyo's memory loss. Of course, Yuki had a feeling that everyone was going to find out eventually. If a person's memory were to be suppress, it's best if they would stay away from the same environment and people that were vanished from their mind. Kyo was around the same atmosphere and such. The only new object added to the castle was, of course, the princess.

"I'm going to see Princess Honda-san now." Yuki was pretty much lost at words. "Are you sure you don't want to see her?"

Jekou smiled. "Though I do, it's not as easy. Ignoring the fact that Lord Kyo's suppression is 'supposedly' the only fact I'm suppose to know, the princess does not know that I was merely disguising myself as a mortal back in the past. She does not know that I'm a Zodiac." He chuckled. "I feel like a betrayer."

What was going on with the two of them? These connections that gave them some warm feeling of being honest and truthful and protective over mortals… "…Don't ignore her Jekou. I'm sure she will understand." Lord Yuki turned around and started to walk away, looking over his shoulder as his gorgeous amethyst eyes sparkled with the moon that was making its way into the center of the sky. "She's Princess Honda-san after all."

Jekou rolled his eyes as he spun around. "Cheesy guy he is…"

* * *

Ayame slithered through one of the many hallways, sparkling golden eyes reflecting off the many torches lit against the wall. But they weren't the sign of pure gold happiness brightening the hallway. They were gloomy; non polished and rusty. His delicate pale face that resembled so much of the rat leader was droopy. The slouching back revealed so much of his personality and such. The only thing that seemed to elaborate this Zodiac was his moonlit hair that dangled all the way to his buttocks. Of course, his designable violet outfit with remarkable white sakura flowers traveling from the hem of the outfit all the way to the tight fitting collar outshined everyone else.

All the Zodiacs were either in the dining rooms, celebrating the return of some Zodiacs. But the main celebration was for the fact that Mortal Castle had finally been taken over. Although the mortals were nowhere to be found during the takeover, that didn't exactly matter as of now. Lord Akito and the Zodiacs would probably find them eventually; maybe hidden underground in a cramp place with no food or water or air. With such conditions, one must escape to retrieve something to help them continue on living. They were merely trapped as true rats.

A moment ago Ayame was joined with Shigure and a few of the rat and snake Zodiacs, enjoying the wonderful banquet the servants had made for gratitude; gratitude that maybe Zodiacs would be considered 'normal' instead of freaks for once by everyone. But eventually after a joyful amount of laughter and practical jokes about their journey to enemy ground, Lord Ayame had realized that the presence of Hatori was nowhere to be seen.

_"Transforming had done too much for Haa-san," __replied Shigure, gracefully chugging a cup of sake._ _"At least…that's what he told me."_

The snake leader had seen Lord Nukardo dine with a few dragons. He had transformed and done many things today, so why was he up and ready and eating like some crazy animal? Besides, when did a Zodiac ever say, 'I'm so tired from transforming?' There was nothing tiresome about that. It wasn't like Hatori to make someone worry either. So why make excuses that would make others curious?

And then when Lord Ayame had to cross the training grounds to the other side of the building…

_"Did you figure it out yet?"_

_"Is Lord Akito__…__allowed to command Kyo's memory to be suppressed? Let alone any Zodiac?"_

_"I don't know anything nowadays Lord Yuki. It's the curse. But there's nothing we can do about it. Lord Kyo doesn't remember anything that has happened from the day during that battle where he was captured until now."_

Ayame had been transformed as a snake during that time, making his way near the other side without trying to make himself visible or hearable. Sneaking out of the dining room without running into drunk, careless but carefree Zodiacs was kind of hard when being all full grown. Slithering out of the halls was pretty easy, but now hearing the conversation between Jekou and Yuki…

Lord Kyo's mind had been suppressed under Lord Akito's command… Why? After hearing that, Ayame made a quick escape because staying for too long wasn't worth it. Ayame knew Yuki's quick senses. If he had remained eavesdropping on their conversation for even another second, the rat leader would have found out. Both he and Jekou seemed so deep in conversation… A few mentions of the princess of Mortal Castle were tossed here and there, but other than that… Everything all fit together now; the reason why Lord Hatori was 'tired' and not joining everyone in festivity. Hatori wasn't exactly the 'party' person, but he wouldn't miss out on enjoying something to eat to regain his strength and socializing.

Still running through his thoughts, Lord Ayame made his way up a set of stairs, gazing out at the windows that transcended the whole, entire outer wall, giving a perfect view of the outlands. _"Tori-san suppressed __Kyo's memories…__"_

Eventually Ayame had approached Hatori's bedroom door. The snake didn't even think as he tried to budge the door open, however he was only greeted with a locked door. Ayame couldn't exactly pinpoint what was really 'wrong' with Hatori. Was he in pain right now for turning his back against a Zodiac? Was regret slowly building up inside of him? When had a Zodiac _ever _erased the memories of another Zodiac? But…these were under Lord Akito's orders. What else could Hatori do but obey? Obey the curse; the God.

Ayame aimed his clenched fist against the door, but after a moments loss, he pulled back.

* * *

"Kyo!"

The continuous pounding against the door struck every single hair on Kyo's body to spike up. Hearing that despicable voice every five seconds was enough to make Kyo reach for one of his katana's and stab himself straight in the stomach. And probably after doing that, he would have enough strength to open that stupid good for nothing door that couldn't block out sound and stab that boar until she would stop shouting out his name! Possibly hand it over to the mortals as some gift.

"Kyo! What's taking you so long?" Kagura's chirpy voice echoed off every corner of Kyo's room.

Settling his eyelids, the cat leader wiped his face with his bracelet hand in frustration. He had already spent at least twenty minutes trying to order her to leave ever since he managed to lock himself inside his room, but the maniac who calls herself Kyo's lover just remained at the door annoying the crap out of him. So there was only one thing to do; ignore.

"All of the codfish is going to be gone!"

Kyo looked at his own reflection from a hanging mirror, messing with his hair a bit as the light clicks from his bracelet reverberate against his ear. There was this huge headache overwhelming Kyo right now. His head was literally pounding, almost as if someone had thrown Kyo's head around like a football numerous of times. His eyes were a bit worn out too for some apparent reason; strange gray pockets underneath his eyes. The cat leader wasn't exactly tired, but his appearance sure did give him the impression that he was.

But he sure was hungry as hell…

Bracing himself, he swung open the door, expecting a massive tackle from Lady Kagura. However, Kagura was nowhere to be seen.

Lord Kyo couldn't help himself but to grin as he made his way towards the dining room. Supposedly she had figured that he would have never come out, thus roaming off on her own. A few roaming Zodiacs were walking around, a few holding bottles of God knows what and random animals strolling along the hallways, swaying in certain directions. Leftover food was scattered on the floor. What kind of party was this? Everyone getting drunk. Great. All of this had to be planned by Shigure or something. Well, at least by tomorrow everyone would have a headache and not just Kyo.

"Nobu-chaaaaaan!" A random red headed girl linked her arms around one of Kyo's warriors who was leaning against a wall. His face was flustered with relaxation. The cat leader merely ignored them as he passed them with ease. "Where! Did that…rat Yuki go?"

"Someone said that…he was heading towards his office." Kyo was a bit impressed that this warrior didn't talk like an actual drunk when he was obviously out of it. Not like that red headed girl; whoever she belonged too... "Lord Haru…Hatsuharu…oops...and the living dead rabbit were heading…to the, um, dining room. From…upstairs?"

The red haired girl gasped. "The mortal gal? You think she's with Yuki?"

Kyo was disgusted now. Was Lord Yuki really that attracted to this princess? What was so special about her anyhow? She wasn't all that great looking and she looked exceptionally stupid and frail. But other than that, she was a mortal for crying out loud! What the hell was wrong with Yuki? Besides, whatever that damn rat was planning on doing with her…

Kyo shook his head with pure, _pure _disgust. _"What the hell am I thinking?" _Was the mortal girl attracted to him too? Or was she just sorry that Yuki was locked up at Mortal Castle for six months straight? Who would want to be with a mortal anyway? They were so weak and useless and a pain in the ass… No wait; what mortal would want to be with a Zodiac?

This was some complicated shit.

Kyo's crimson eyes suddenly caught Ayame who had just turned a corner. The snake leader gazed at Kyo for a moment before he quickly looked away and purposely ran towards a group of other singing Zodiacs, wrapping his long arms around the drunken group and joining their party.

Lord Kyo grasped his head, yawning quite loudly. _"This headache is driving me insane."_

* * *

So basically…Kyo will never fall in love with Tohru again. And eventually when he is alone with Tohru he will kill her and then Yuki will take revenge for Tohru's death and kill him. Later Lord Akito breaks through the barrier Tohru had created when she had escaped the secret tunnel in Mortal Castle and all the Zodiacs will go through the escape tunnel to the mortal side where all the sheltered mortals are hidden. They take everyone as prisoners and all of world will be controlled by the Zodiacs. Lord Akito will be killed by a swarm of raging rats and Yuki will be the next ruler. And somehow he ends up marrying Kagura.

Okay. What the hell am I saying? That is SO not the ending. But who knows? Something like that could happen! Well…that's chapter 10… I know it wasn't all that great… I'm so sorry!!! I'm not the best writer as you can see. And my imaginations and such are slowly disappearing with each day going by. I mean, I haven't necessarily been reading Fruits Basket since I have already read the whole thing, and now reading all these other books and whatnot; the Furuba characters are slowly flying by me… Ugh. COME ON ANGIE! GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER! But anyhow…like I always say; I will try my best to update as soon as possible! You all can hold off a little while to read chapter 11, right? Please review! It would help muchos!


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